Memorandum 
Date:  April 30,  1993  
To:  Senator Dole  
From:  Alec Vachon  
Re:  Reception for Disability History Book  
(End of Letterhead)

I see from your schedule for Tuesday, May 4th, that you may drop by a reception for Joe Shapiro's forthcoming book. 

Although Shapiro is a hardworking journalist and has taken a keen interest in disability, you should be aware that this book has very serious flaws. His account of the history of ADA is so incomplete as to be seriously misleading, and frankly it looks like Joe was used to settle some personal scores. Of course, he would not be the first good journalist to get a story wrong. For this reason, the Dole Foundation declined to contribute a blurb. 

This is particularly regrettable because today there is not even one good history of disability rights, unlike, e.g., civil rights for African Americans, where there are many excellent texts. 

If you do attend the reception, and want to say something positive, perhaps something ambiguous might fit the bill, such as: "We certainly need more good histories of the disability rights movement and the Americans with Disabilities Act." 

If I can provide any support for this event, please let me know. 

cc: D. Stanley