Evan P. Sullivan's forthcoming book Constructing Disability after the Great War (University of Illinois Press) is an exploration of how Americans -- both civilians and veterans -- worked to determine the meanings of identity for blind veterans of World War I. Sighted Americans' wartime rehabilitation culture centered blind soldiers and veterans in a mix of inspirational stories. Veterans worked to become productive members of society even as ableism confined their unique life experiences to a collection of cultural tropes that suggested they were either downcast wrecks of their former selves or were morally superior and relatively flawless as they overcame their disabilities and triumphantly journeyed toward successful citizenship. This talk draws on research from his book to highlight the experiences of a select group of blind veterans and what those veterans can tell us about the broader culture of American rehabilitation after World War I.

Dr. Evan P. Sullivan is an assistant professor of history at SUNY Adirondack. He specializes in histories of disability, gender, and war in the modern era, especially disabled veterans after World War I. His research has appeared in the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, the international journal First World War Studies, and numerous edited volumes on the history of veterans. Sullivan lives in Queensbury, New York with his wife, son, and cat Molly.