Rosemary Ferguson Dybwad (May 12, 1910 — November 3, 1992) was an American

developmental disability Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

advocate between the 1950s to 1990s. Dybwad had previously worked as a case worker and at

correctional facilities A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

before she joined the

National Association for Retarded Children The Arc of the United States is an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization was founded in the 1950s by parents of people with developmental disabilities. Since then, the organization has estab ...

in 1957. With the National Association, Dybwad was the secretary of international correspondence for her husband,

Gunnar Dybwad Gunnar Dybwad (1909–2001) was an American professor and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, particularly developmental disabilities. He is best known for his support for the social model of disability, reframing disability acc ...

, between 1957 and 1963. From 1964 to 1967, Dybwad and her husband co-directed a project on intellectual disabilities for the

International Union of Child Welfare International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * International (Kevin Michael album), ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * International (New Order album), ' ...

. Apart from the work with her husband, Dybwad joined the board of directors for the

International League of Societies for Persons with Mental Handicaps International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

in 1966 and remained with the International League in 1978. Dybwad also wrote three editions of the ''International Directory of Mental Retardation Resources'' between 1971 and 1989.

Early life and education

On May 12, 1910, Dybwad was born in

Howe, Indiana Howe is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lima Township, LaGrange County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census its population was 807. History Howe was settled in 1834. At that time, it was named "Mongoquinong", a name that t ...

. As a teenager, she grew up in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. For her post-secondary education, Dybwad began her studies at the

Western College for Women Western College for Women, known at other times as Western Female Seminary, The Western and simply Western College, was a women's and later coed liberal arts college in Oxford, Ohio, between 1855 and 1974. Initially a seminary, it was the host of ...

before completing a two-year fellowship at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

in 1933. After attending the

University of Indiana Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

School of Social Work for a year, Dybwad received a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

from the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

in 1936. She completed her education with her postdoctoral research at the

New York School of Social Work The Columbia University School of Social Work is the graduate school of social work of Columbia University. It is the nation's oldest social work program, with roots extending back to 1898, when the New York Charity Organization Society's first s ...

in 1938.

Career

While completing her education in the 1930s, Dybwad was a

caseworker In social work, a caseworker is not a social worker but is employed by a government agency, nonprofit organization, or another group to take on the cases of individuals and provide them with advocacy, information and solutions. Also, in politic ...

at a school before working at

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

. After leaving her job in 1939, Dybwad raised her children while her husband,

, worked in

child welfare Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...

. Upon her husband's appointment as director of the

in 1957, Dybwad became the association's secretary of international correspondence that year and held the position until 1963. Between 1964 and 1967, Dybwad worked at the

and co-directed a project on intellectual disabilities with her husband. During this time period, Dybwad joined the board of directors for the

in 1966. She additionally served as a vice president and remained with the International League until 1978. Outside of the work with her husband, Dybwad released the ''International Directory of Mental Retardation Resources'' in 1971. After Dybwad published edited versions of the ''International Directory'' in 1979 and 1989, she wrote ''Perspectives on a Parent Movement: The Revolt of Parents of Children with Intellectual Limitations'' in 1990.

Personal life

On November 3, 1992, Dybwad died from cancer in

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a New England town, town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson Col ...

. She was married and had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dybwad, Rosemary Ferguson 1910 births 1992 deaths Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts