The Unseen Documents of Unseen Disabilities: Why the History of Mental Health Disorders Cannot be Found in the University of Illinois Archives

The University Archives of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign currently do not hold any documentation that relates to its history of students with mental health disorders. Despite the large amount of literature that has been produced since UIUC pushed its focus to mental health in 1990, the archives still remain sparse. My research seeks an answer to why the archives have not preserved the history of students with mental illnesses as they relate to our campus, drawing from historic figures such as Simi Linton and Tim Nugent. Interviews with the head of DRES's mental health department, as well as archivists, in addition to class discussions and readings, are all included and cited in this research. The paper explores the limitations of the University of Illinois archives and reveals the information hole that exists.unpublishednot peer reviewe