City of Seattle, WA
09/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/03/2024 15:48
Janet Taggart: A Key Player in Making Seattle More Welcoming to People with Disabilities
By Colin Wilfrid
WARNING: This story talks about a disability-accessible school that the person this story focuses on, Janet Taggart, founded. The school's original name uses ableist language that some readers may find offensive.
Just like all mothers across the world, Janet Taggart loved her daughter, Nadia, and she did whatever it took to make sure her daughter had the best possible future. However, Taggart's goal to help Nadia succeed was not easy. Nadia was born with a developmental disability and cerebral palsy. Prior to the 1970s, schools in Seattle were not as accommodating toward students with intellectual disabilities as they are now. Because of her disability, Nadia was denied access to public education and healthcare. Taggart knew there needed to be changes in policy to be services more accessible and inclusive to people like her daughter and so she became a disability rights advocate. Making education more accommodating for her daughter's learning style was the first of many ways in which she was able to successfully advocate for disability rights not just in Seattle, but across the United States.
To remedy the Seattle School District not being a good match for Nadia, Taggart created a "church basement" school for people with disabilities called Central School for the Severely Retarded. The progress Nadia made at Taggart's school compared to the Seattle School District was undeniable. The Seattle School District misdiagnosed Nadia as blind in response to her struggle to navigate her surroundings. Taggart's school had a particular staff member who was friendly and helpful to Nadia and although she was not licensed to teach, Nadia had a learning breakthrough with her. Central School for the Severely Retarded continued to evolve from its roots as a "church basement" school over the years. It was eventually renamed the Northwest Center and is still in operation to this day.
Janet Taggart's disability rights advocacy did not stop with the Northwest Center. In 1970, she helped found the Education for All committee (EFA). In 1971, EFA successfully lobbied for the passage of HB 90, which mandates publicly funded, individualized education in public schools for children with disabilities. HB 90 was the first mandatory special education law in the United States, and its success led to a similar bill on the national level. In the mid-70s, Taggart assisted in a legal case that led to the prosecution of a person accused of sexually assaulting a disabled woman. Over the years, Taggart was honored for her advocacy on behalf of disabled individuals and their families.
On May 25, 2021, The Northwest Center held a virtual panel in honor of HB 90's 50th Anniversary, with Janet Taggart as one of the panelists. On the panel, Taggart acknowledged that even though HB 90 was a success in making education better for people like her daughter, there was still a long way to go. Particularly, Taggart proposed the formation of state groups consisting of parents and professional advocates for children with disabilities, who would lobby for laws improving upon special education annually based on recent special education issues. Such annual pushes for special education legislation in each state would help make sure legislators continue to understand that special education is a necessity, as opposed to forgetting about it, like they have done in the past. To learn more about HB 90 and its significance, you can watch the panel featuring Janet Taggart and her colleagues discussing the legislation's importance here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRUJk6yZskY. To learn more about the Northwest Center, go to this website: www.nwcenter.org.
Janet Taggart sadly passed away on April 5, 2024 but her legacy in the disability community will always be looked at fondly.