University of Connecticut, Handicapped Homemaker Project Records

A five-year project, officially titled “Work Simplification in the Area of Child Care for Physically Handicapped Women”, was sponsored by the School of Home Economics, University of Connecticut, in cooperation with the “Team Approach” Committee on Research Demonstrations and Workshops Concerning Physically Handicapped Women. The main work of the project occurred between 1955 and 1960. Among the goals of the project were (1) to demonstrate the ways in which the competence of physically handicapped mothers of pre-school children may be increased in the area of child care, through the application of the principles of work simplification, (2) to explore the vocational rehabilitation possibilities of physically handicapped women, in the area of child care, for work in nursery schools, in day care centers or as “baby sitters”, and (3) to study the effectiveness of the methods developed in terms of human values and family relationships as well as in increased efficiency. The project coordinators and participants prepared booklets and bibliographies on various aspects of the research, conducted workshops, and prepared photographic exhibits illustrating how the project's recommendations helped the handicapped homemaker in performing her daily work.