"Who's in Control?": Disability-Centered Community Archives as Sites of Resistance and Reclamation

Our session explores how community archives rooted in disability justice disrupt traditional practices by centering autonomy, lived experience, and accessibility. Highlighting the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance (PMPA) Community Archives & Special Collections, we show how community-led approaches resist reductive medical and social models of disability, instead prioritizing complex, first-person narratives. Emerging from the legacy of Pennhurst State School and Hospital and the activism of former residents, PMPA documents the history of self-advocacy and deinstitutionalization. Its largest collection, Speaking for Ourselves, reflects a commitment to self-determination and community control.

PMPA subverts archival norms by ensuring records are owned and interpreted by the communities they represent; centering narratives and multimedia created by disabled activists; digitizing collections to remove barriers and ensure free access; ethically stewarding materials with dignity; and training emerging disabled archivists through intergenerational mentorship. Through these strategies, PMPA demonstrates that community archives are not merely alternative repositories but radical interventions challenging dominant historical narratives and transforming archival ethics.

This session highlights the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance (PMPA) Community Archive, a Disability-led initiative preserving the voices of formerly institutionalized people. By centering lived experience, accessibility, and self-determination, it shows how Disabled archivists and activists are reshaping stewardship and mentoring future leaders. The session affirms SAA's commitment to an inclusive, representative, and justice-oriented archival profession.

Alternate Format