Frank Bowe
Encyclopedia
Frank G. Bowe was the Dr. Mervin Livingston Schloss Distinguished Professor for the Study of Disabilities at Hofstra University
. As a disability rights activist, author, and teacher, he accomplished a series of firsts for individuals with disabilities.
(ACCD). The Coalition’s signature achievement was securing the long-delayed implementation of Section 504, the world’s first civil-rights provision for persons with disabilities. Bowe conceived and led the nationwide protest that led to issuance of landmark regulations for Section 504 in 1977. He later wrote Handicapping America, the first full-length text on social policy and disability, which was published by Harper & Row.
In 1980, Bowe was the first person with a disability to represent any nation in the planning of the United Nations
(UN) International Year of Disabled Persons
(IYDP-1981). Today, many countries are represented in key UN committees by persons who themselves are individuals with disabilities, including 14 who are, as Bowe was, deaf.
In the mid-1980s, he chaired the U.S. Congress Commission on Education of the Deaf (COED), which made 52 recommendations for improving education and rehabilitation. COED issued a public draft of its final report in January, 1988. The example he and COED set was not lost on the students at Gallaudet University
across town when, in March, 1988, they launched the Deaf President Now
protest.
Section 504 led, in 1990, to the Americans with Disabilities Act. That same year, Dr. Bowe was the principal architect of the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, which was sponsored in the Senate by Tom Harkin
and in the House by Edward Markey. The act requires that TV sets
receive and display closed captions. The 1996 Telecommunications Act took it a step further, mandating that broadcast
and cable programs themselves be captioned. In 2005 and 2006, Bowe gave invited testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and conducted demonstrations of high-speed broadband communications for both the House and the U.S. Senate.
Dr. Bowe’s textbooks are in use at colleges and universities around the country and in several other nations. Making Inclusion Work (Prentice Hall
) and Early Childhood Special Education (Thomson Delmar Learning) are two examples. He was also author of Universal Design in Education (published by Greenwood Publishing), of the encyclopedia entries on deafness and disabilities in Scholastic’s New Book of Knowledge, and of several hundred articles in professional journals in public policy, special education, rehabilitation, and technology.
In Disability in America 2006, a policy paper addressing health care, employment, and entitlements, Bowe outlined disability policy goals for 2006-2008.
on Long Island
, Bowe helped to prepare more than 2,000 special-education teachers. He was given the Distinguished Teaching (University Teacher of the Year) Award in 1996. For five years, he was program director for special education. He also chaired several committees at Hofstra and served on doctoral dissertation committees at NYU and other universities.
In 2006, he spearheaded a campus-wide project to make information and instruction more accessible to and usable by students, faculty, staff and alumni at Hofstra. The professor served on the editorial board of five professional journals and as governmental affairs consultant for the National Association of the Deaf (United States)
.
. He held a M.A. from Gallaudet
and a B.A. (summa cum laude) from McDaniel College
. NYU awarded him its Distinguished Alumni Award. Gallaudet awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D), and McDaniel College has recognized him with two alumni achievement awards.
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
. As a disability rights activist, author, and teacher, he accomplished a series of firsts for individuals with disabilities.
"Father of Section 504"
Dr. Bowe was the first executive director (CEO) of the first national cross-disability consumer advocacy organization, the American Coalition of Citizens with DisabilitiesAmerican Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities
The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities was, in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, a national consumer-led disability rights organization called, by nationally syndicated columnist Jack Anderson and others, “the handicapped lobby”...
(ACCD). The Coalition’s signature achievement was securing the long-delayed implementation of Section 504, the world’s first civil-rights provision for persons with disabilities. Bowe conceived and led the nationwide protest that led to issuance of landmark regulations for Section 504 in 1977. He later wrote Handicapping America, the first full-length text on social policy and disability, which was published by Harper & Row.
In 1980, Bowe was the first person with a disability to represent any nation in the planning of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN) International Year of Disabled Persons
International Year of Disabled Persons
The year 1981 was proclaimed the International Year of Disabled Persons by the United Nations. It called for a plan of action with an emphasis on equalization of opportunities, rehabilitation and prevention of disabilities...
(IYDP-1981). Today, many countries are represented in key UN committees by persons who themselves are individuals with disabilities, including 14 who are, as Bowe was, deaf.
In the mid-1980s, he chaired the U.S. Congress Commission on Education of the Deaf (COED), which made 52 recommendations for improving education and rehabilitation. COED issued a public draft of its final report in January, 1988. The example he and COED set was not lost on the students at Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University is a federally-chartered university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, located in the District of Columbia, U.S...
across town when, in March, 1988, they launched the Deaf President Now
Deaf President Now
Deaf President Now was a student protest at Gallaudet University. The university, established by an act of Congress in 1864 to serve the Deaf, had always been led by a hearing president...
protest.
Section 504 led, in 1990, to the Americans with Disabilities Act. That same year, Dr. Bowe was the principal architect of the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, which was sponsored in the Senate by Tom Harkin
Tom Harkin
Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives ....
and in the House by Edward Markey. The act requires that TV sets
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
receive and display closed captions. The 1996 Telecommunications Act took it a step further, mandating that broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
and cable programs themselves be captioned. In 2005 and 2006, Bowe gave invited testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and conducted demonstrations of high-speed broadband communications for both the House and the U.S. Senate.
Dr. Bowe’s textbooks are in use at colleges and universities around the country and in several other nations. Making Inclusion Work (Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall is a major educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher-education market. Prentice Hall distributes its technical titles through the Safari...
) and Early Childhood Special Education (Thomson Delmar Learning) are two examples. He was also author of Universal Design in Education (published by Greenwood Publishing), of the encyclopedia entries on deafness and disabilities in Scholastic’s New Book of Knowledge, and of several hundred articles in professional journals in public policy, special education, rehabilitation, and technology.
In Disability in America 2006, a policy paper addressing health care, employment, and entitlements, Bowe outlined disability policy goals for 2006-2008.
Selected Quotes
- "America handicaps disabled people. And because that is true, we are handicapping America itself". (Handicapping America, 1978, p. vii)
- "The present status of education for persons who are deaf in the United States is unsatisfactory. Unacceptably so. This is the primary and inescapable conclusion of the Commission on Education of the Deaf." (Toward Equality: Education of the Deaf, 1988, p. viii)
- "SSDI and SSISSI- Economics :* Standing Settlement Instructions, payment processing and settlement information about financial institutions* Strategic Sustainable Investing, an investment strategy that recognizes financial value in transitional leadership towards sustainability...
... the rapid escalation of costs and the narrowing of employer [health insurance] coverage ... and other factors ... keep the American Dream out of reach for many Americans with disabilities." ("Disability in America," 2006)
- "...[t]ake some of the money now spent on entitlements and turn it, instead, toward postsecondary education and vocational training for Americans with disabilities. ... take some (much less!) of it and put it toward real enforcement of ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
title I by the EEOC. And ... take some (more) of it and partially subsidize employer-provided health insuranceHealth insuranceHealth insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
, as an incentive for hiring adults with disabilities." ("Disability in America", 2006)
Teaching
As a professor at Hofstra UniversityHofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, Bowe helped to prepare more than 2,000 special-education teachers. He was given the Distinguished Teaching (University Teacher of the Year) Award in 1996. For five years, he was program director for special education. He also chaired several committees at Hofstra and served on doctoral dissertation committees at NYU and other universities.
In 2006, he spearheaded a campus-wide project to make information and instruction more accessible to and usable by students, faculty, staff and alumni at Hofstra. The professor served on the editorial board of five professional journals and as governmental affairs consultant for the National Association of the Deaf (United States)
National Association of the Deaf (United States)
The National Association of the Deaf was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1880 as a non-profit organization run by deaf people to advocate for deaf rights. The first president of the organization was Robert P. McGregor of Ohio. It includes associations from all 50 states and Washington, DC...
.
Awards
Dr. Bowe is named in numerous Who’s Who publications, including Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Education, and others. In 1994, Dr. Bowe was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States, signed by then-President George H.W. Bush.Education
His Ph.D in educational psychology (research) was earned at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. He held a M.A. from Gallaudet
Gallaudet
Gallaudet is the name of* Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet* Edward Miner Gallaudet* Thomas Gallaudet * Gallaudet University* Edson Fessenden Gallaudet* Gallaudet Aircraft Company...
and a B.A. (summa cum laude) from McDaniel College
McDaniel College
McDaniel College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland, located 30 miles northwest of Baltimore. The college also has a satellite campus located in Budapest, Hungary. Until July 2002, it was known as Western Maryland College...
. NYU awarded him its Distinguished Alumni Award. Gallaudet awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D), and McDaniel College has recognized him with two alumni achievement awards.