July 16

KATIE HEALEY:

Hello and welcome to the Disability Daily Podcast! I’m your host, Katie, and over the past couple years, I’ve worked on a 365-day calendar that recognizes different folks and key moments in disability history each day of the year. I’m turning this into a quick daily podcast, and I’m excited to share this with you!

From well-known figures and innovative inventions to unsung heroes and landmark legislation, each episode reveals how people with disabilities have played a crucial role in our society.

Please subscribe to the podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify to learn along with me each day. To see the calendar, visit accessiblehighered.com/calendar or see this episode’s show notes for the link.

And with that, let’s dive in!

Born July 16, 1932, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Richard Thornburgh began his career as a lawyer, eventually becoming Governor of Pennsylvania and later the 76th U.S. Attorney General under Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush. But behind the titles was a personal story that helped shape his legacy.

In 1960, Thornburgh's first wife died in a car crash that left their youngest son, Peter, with physical and intellectual disabilities at just four months old. That moment changed the course of his family’s life—and ultimately, the nation’s policies on disability. He remarried in 1963 to Ginny Judson, a teacher and disability advocate in her own right, and together they became fierce champions for inclusion.

As governor, Thornburgh focused on public health, education, and emergency response, including during the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident. But his national influence grew even more as U.S. Attorney General, where he played a central role in the development and passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990—a law that would become one of the most significant civil rights victories for disabled Americans.

He and his wife worked tirelessly to expand access and change attitudes, speaking at the Vatican Conference on Disabilities and receiving the prestigious Henry B. Betts Award in 2003. They used the award’s proceeds to establish the Thornburgh Family Lecture Series on Disability Law and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh.

Even after leaving public office, Thornburgh continued to advocate for equity—whether at the United Nations or by writing about Puerto Rican self-determination, corporate corruption, or access to justice. In 2002, he was honored with the Wiley A. Branton Award for his unwavering commitment to civil rights, particularly for people with disabilities.

Dick Thornburgh passed away in 2020 at the age of 88. His work, especially in disability law and policy, reshaped the legal and cultural landscape of the United States. But it started with something deeply personal: the belief that his son—and all disabled people—deserved dignity, opportunity, and the full protection of the law.

And Müzeyyen Senar—often called the Diva of the Republic—born on July 16, 1918 in the Ottoman Empire, became one of Turkey’s most revered performers of classical Turkish music. She developed a stutter at the age of five that affected her speech but not her singing.

Senar’s musical journey began formally in 1931 when she joined the Anatolia Musical Association. By 1933, at just 15 years old, she recorded her first song and debuted in Istanbul’s prestigious music halls. Her voice reached national prominence through Radio Istanbul and eventually won the admiration of none other than Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic.

Her career took her from Ankara’s state radio to the glittering stages of Paris. In 1947, she gave her first international concert at Le Lido, bringing Turkish classical music to new audiences. Her film career added another layer to her influence, including a semi-autobiographical role in Analar Ölmez in 1976. She even lent her voice to dubbed renditions of Egyptian singer and actress Umm Kulthum’s songs for Turkish film releases.

Müzeyyen Senar officially retired in 1983, ending a half-century career that redefined Turkish classical music and paved the way for future generations of vocalists. In her later years, she experienced a stroke and eventually lost her voice. She died in 2015 at the age of 96. Check out her Google Doodle in today’s show notes.

Thanks so much for listening today! See the episode show notes for sources to learn more and to access the episode transcript.

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Thanks!