Disability Publics Lab Discussion with Michael Marlatt - Canada’s Forgotten First Blind Actress and Social Worker

Please join us for the next event in our ongoing Disability Publics Lab Discussion Series, on Thursday, October 1st at 12:00 pm in the Lab (SHE 576 - 99 Gerrard St. E.) or online via Zoom (link shared upon registration).

We'll be joined by Dr. Michael Marlatt, an archive/museum accessibility consultant and disability media historian based in New Brunswick.

Canada’s Forgotten First Blind Actress and Social Worker: Addressing Archival Accessibility Barriers in the Search for Louise Cowan

Abstract:

Louise Cowan was a blind educator, historian, accessibility advocate, and actress born in Ontario in 1919. She was the first blind individual in Canada to get a master’s degree in social work, doing so in 1948 with a thesis on the history of at-home blind education in Canada. She worked for the CNIB for nearly 40 years in education and social welfare, eventually becoming the National Director of Welfare and Home Teaching. Cowan was also an actress, appearing on CBC and NFB programming multiple times in the 1950s and 1960s. Cowan would pass away in 1987 with seemingly little attention since. So how does someone with such accolades get forgotten? This presentation, hosted by Dr. Michael Marlatt looks to address this question through examining accessibility barriers that exist within Canada’s archives. Films, photographs, and textual records of Cowan live within such archives as Library and Archives Canada, the Archives of Ontario, the City of Toronto Archives, the NFB, and the CBC. The aim of this talk is to re-introduce Cowan, address what some of these major archival accessibility barriers are and outline an upcoming awareness campaign with LAC on Cowan.

Bio:

Dr. Michael Marlatt is an archive/museum accessibility consultant and disability media historian based in New Brunswick. Michael has been working with media archives for over a decade having graduated from TMU’s Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management MA program. He later received his PhD in 2024 from York University’s Communication & Culture program, writing on accessibility barriers in graduate-level moving image archival education training programs in North America. He hosts workshops and public talks with cultural institutions globally on person-centred disability-inclusion strategies in regard to public programming, collections processing, accessible cultural spaces, training, and equitable hiring practises. Previously Michael worked for Toronto-based arts organisations and festivals including the Luminato Arts Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Michael currently serves as the archival producer on the AMI-tv Canadian disability history docuseries History in 60.

This event is hybrid. Snacks, coffee, and tea will be available for in-person attendees.

To register, please email Tali Cherniawsky at disabilitypublics@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 

Let us know if you plan to attend in person or virtually, and feel free to include any access questions or requests.

Access Information

• Attendees are asked to wear a mask unless they have a medical exception. Masks may be removed while eating or drinking.
• HEPA air filtration will be in use throughout the event.
• The Disability Publics Lab and a nearby washroom are wheelchair accessible.
• Light refreshments will be provided.
• A separate dining area is available upon request.
• If you have additional access needs, please contact us in advance. We will do our best to support your participation.
• For access questions or requests, please contact Tali Cherniawsky, Lab Coordinator at disabilitypublics@torontomu.ca (opens in new window)