Mary E. Switzer
Encyclopedia
Mary Elizabeth Switzer was an American
public administrator
and social reformer. She notably shaped the 1954 Vocational Rehabilitation Act, which provided a great expansion of vocational rehabilitation service for people with disabilities. She publicized the government's growing role in vocational rehabilitation and encouraged expansion of vocational rehabilitation projects among non-governmental organizations.
in 1921 and started working for the federal government in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She worked successively with the Minimum Wage Board, the Public Health Service and the Federal Security Agency
, becoming increasingly concerned with health care
issues. In 1950 she became director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; then the commissioner of the Vocational Rehabilitation Agency in 1961; and finally, the administrator of the Social and Rehabilitation Service in 1967. She retired in 1970 and died in 1971.
Switzer was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors at Georgetown University
in 1969. She served as president of the National Rehabilitation Association and as advisor to many American health organizations, including the Menninger Foundation
and St. Elizabeths Hospital
.
(1948), the Albert Lasker Award in medicine (1960), and numerous other awards. She received honorary degrees from several universities and from Gallaudet College.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
public administrator
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
and social reformer. She notably shaped the 1954 Vocational Rehabilitation Act, which provided a great expansion of vocational rehabilitation service for people with disabilities. She publicized the government's growing role in vocational rehabilitation and encouraged expansion of vocational rehabilitation projects among non-governmental organizations.
Federal government career
Switzer graduated from Radcliffe CollegeRadcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
in 1921 and started working for the federal government in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She worked successively with the Minimum Wage Board, the Public Health Service and the Federal Security Agency
Federal Security Agency
The Federal Security Agency was an independent agency of the United States government established in 1939 pursuant to the "Reorganization Act of 1939"...
, becoming increasingly concerned with health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
issues. In 1950 she became director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; then the commissioner of the Vocational Rehabilitation Agency in 1961; and finally, the administrator of the Social and Rehabilitation Service in 1967. She retired in 1970 and died in 1971.
Switzer was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 1969. She served as president of the National Rehabilitation Association and as advisor to many American health organizations, including the Menninger Foundation
Menninger Foundation
The Menninger Foundation was founded in 1919 by the Menninger family in Topeka, Kansas, and consists of a clinic, a sanatorium, and a school of psychiatry, all of which bear the Menninger name. In 2003, the Menninger Clinic moved to Houston. The foundation was started by Drs. Karl, Will, and...
and St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. It was the first large-scale, federally-run psychiatric hospital in the United States. Housing several thousand patients at its peak, St. Elizabeths had a fully functioning...
.
Awards
In recognition of her contributions to vocational rehabilitation, Switzer received the President's Certificate of MeritPresident's Certificate of Merit
The President's Certificate of Merit was created June 6, 1946 by Executive Order 9734 signed by US President Harry Truman, "for award by the President or at his direction to any civilian who on or after December 7, 1941 , has performed a meritorious act or service which has aided the United States...
(1948), the Albert Lasker Award in medicine (1960), and numerous other awards. She received honorary degrees from several universities and from Gallaudet College.
Commemoration
- The Mary Switzer BuildingMary Switzer BuildingThe Mary Switzer Building, in Washington D.C., was dedicated in 1973. It was formerly the building for what was then known as the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. For Mary E. Switzer's years of service to public welfare, and specifically to the championing of people with disabilities,...
is a federal office building in Washington D.C., now housing the Social Security AdministrationSocial Security AdministrationThe United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Information Service. - Mary Switzer Research Fellowships are administered by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.http://web99.ed.gov/GTEP/Program2.nsf/0/900fa8ac20391631852563bc00540511?OpenDocument
Further reading
- Frank BoweFrank BoweFrank G. Bowe was the Dr. Mervin Livingston Schloss Distinguished Professor for the Study of Disabilities at Hofstra University. As a disability rights activist, author, and teacher, he accomplished a series of firsts for individuals with disabilities.- "Father of Section 504" :Dr...
, Memories of Mary:Mary Elizabeth Switzer (1900-1971) undated speech accessed on Hofstra University website http://people.hofstra.edu/faculty/frank_g_bowe/Memories_%20of_Mary.doc August 1, 2006 - Mary Elizabeth Switzer, Papers:1922-1973 - A finding aid, Harvard University Library, accessed at http://oasis.harvard.edu:10080/oasis/deliver/~sch00243 August 1, 2006
- Papers of Mary E. Switzer, 1959-1970, Gallaudet University Archives accessed at http://archives.gallaudet.edu/Switzer.htm August 1, 2006
External links
- Hall of Fame, American Printing House for the Blind accessed March 15, 2011
- Mary Elizabeth Switzer Papers.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.