The University of Toledo’s Dr. Kim Nielsen is being recognized with the Ohio Academy of History’s 2025 Distinguished Historian Award.
Dr. Kim Nielsen is a Distinguished University Professor and Ability Center of Greater Toledo Endowed Chair of Disability Studies.
“Disability is an important framework through which we can better understand the history of the United States,” said Nielsen, who studies disability history as a Distinguished University Professor and Ability Center of Greater Toledo Endowed Chair of Disability Studies in the College of Arts and Letters. “It’s gratifying to have my research recognized by the Ohio Academy of History.”
Nielsen’s research traces the myriad ways that those with physical and mental disabilities have been sidelined by legal, medical and societal structures in the United States. This includes forced sterilizations under the eugenics movement that gained traction in the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Nielsen is the author of “A Disability History of the United States” and co-editor of the “Oxford Handbook of Disability History,” and she has written or edited three books on Helen Keller. She also served as the founding president the Disability History Association, an international nonprofit that promotes the study of disabilities throughout history.
The Ohio Academy of History is a professional society bringing together teachers, scholars, public historians and students interested in all fields of history. It presents an annual series of awards across multiple disciplines, with the Distinguished Historian Award honoring a historian with an extensive record of publications and contributions to the profession.
