The U-M Council for Disability Concerns, established by then-UM President Harold Shapiro in 1983, has never had an official institutional history. In this Maize Book, the authors present perspectives on the Council from its inception to date. Rather than merely listing dates and facts, the work focuses on selected representative dynamic individuals who provide vibrant descriptions of different aspects of the Council. The intent of including these personal narratives is to portray the inspirational culture and atmosphere that have imbued and grown the Council throughout its existence.

The Council has changed and enlarged its membership from its origins as a small, low-key group consisting primarily of faculty and staff engaged in the disability arena, to an organization that encompasses a diverse, cross-campus and local community membership, with an extensive mailing list, as well. The achievements of the Council over the years and the goals that it envisions for the future, we hope, will serve as a template for other institutions.