A Griffith High School student recently placed second in Indiana’s National History Day competition, which helped her documentary on a disability rights activist advance to the national competition.
“I was so proud of myself and everyone that helped me with it,” Natalie Wadkins, a junior at Griffith High School, said. “I hope people take away that inclusion starts with them.”
In the 10-minute documentary, Wadkins highlights the work of Kitty Cone, who was born with muscular dystrophy, and her fight for federal approval of Section 504 part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stated that any program receiving federal funding couldn’t exclude or discriminate against people with disabilities, Wadkins said.
The law wasn’t enforced for four years, Wadkins said, which sparked anger and frustration among people with disabilities, Wadkins said. So, Cone and other activists organized a sit-in at the San Francisco Federal Building, she said.
The 504 sit-in began April 5, 1977, and the activists remained in the building for nearly a month, making it the longest sit-in inside a federal building in U.S. history, Wadkins said.
Cone was a key component of the sit-in, Wadkins said, as she organized resources, like beds and first-aid, and connected with members of other organizations, like the Black Panthers, to grow the movement for the sit-in and disability rights.
Ultimately, on April 28, 1977, the government implemented Section 504, Wadkins said. But, activists like Cone continued to push for expanded rights for people with disabilities, like the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, she said.
After the sit-in, Cone went on to advocate for better accessibility, work protections and representation for people with disabilities, Wadkins said.
Wadkins, who is the vice president of Griffith High School’s Best Buddies program, said she chose to research the 504 sit-in because the topic of disability rights is important to her. As a member of Best Buddies, Wadkins said she spends time with students with intellectual disabilities.
“I see the barriers that they face,” Wadkins said. “Best Buddies has shown me how important inclusion and advocacy are in real life, just every day. It’s made me want to highlight the leaders that made their lives better.”
Wadkins worked on the documentary for National History Day as part of her Advanced Placement U.S. History class. Wadkins began researching the 504 sit-in by reading books and articles, and listening to first-hand accounts of the sit-in, she said.
Then, she wrote the script for the documentary and began gathering historical photos, video and audio clips, Wadkins said. As she edited the documentary together, Wadkins said she focused on pacing, emotional impact and accuracy.
The National History Day competition begins at the district level, Wadkins said, and four students advance to the state level. Wadkins said four students submitted entries for the district level, so they all advanced to state.
At the state level, Wadkins said her documentary was up against eight other documentaries. The judges had to choose four documentaries to advance to the final round, she said.
When her documentary ended, Wadkins said one of the three judges sat back and said, “wow.” They told her they liked how she put closed captions in the documentary, which provided accessibility for the hearing impaired.
“They said they enjoyed that I practice what I preach,” Wadkins said. “They were really inspired by my passion and drive to this topic.”
By placing second at the state level, Wadkins advanced to the national competition. Wadkins said she and another student from Indiana will go to the University of Maryland in June to compete.
Griffith Public Schools Superintendent Leah Dumezich applauded Wadkins’ accomplishment.
“Natalie is an example of a student who achieves in the classroom and out of the classroom,” Dumezich said in an email. “She has demonstrated integrity, self-discipline, and genuine leadership qualities. We are very proud of her and wish her the best of luck.”
Julie Larson, an English and Language Arts teacher at Griffith High School, said she helped Wadkins with editing the documentary. Larson said Wadkins found a topic that’s “really unique to talk about.”
“You can tell that there’s passion there for her topic,” Larson said. “I’m just thrilled for her.”
At the national competition, Wadkins and thousands of other students will present their projects in various categories over the course of preliminary and final rounds.
Wadkins said she’s excited to advance to the national level, and she hopes her documentary will have an even greater impact at that level of the competition.
“I’m really excited. I’m grateful,” Wadkins said. “Even if I don’t win, I just want to educate more people on the topic.”
akukulka@post-trib.com
