Dancing in my to be free! | Mary Verdi-Fletcher | TEDxClevelandStateUniversity

Mary describes her life and the origins of her unique dance company. Two separate performances bring together dancers both with and without disabilities, providing not only entertainment, but provokes the viewer to question their perceptions of people with disabilities. As a pioneer and Founder of the Dancing Wheels Company & School, Mary Verdi-Fletcher created America’s first physically integrated dance company. With over forty years of experience in arts administration and advocacy, Mary has lead thousands of Americans with disabilities to landmark change in legislation for personal care assistance and accessible mainline public transportation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at