Barbara Altman, the founding mother of disability studies, passed away on Saturday, February 1, 2025. She was instrumental in creating the Society for Disability Studies, serving as its president from 1990 to 1991, and in establishing the ASA Section on Disability and Society, serving as its first president. Altman received the Section’s Distinguished Contributions to the Sociology of Disability award in 2014, and in 2006, she received the ASA Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology’s William Foote Whyte Career Award.
Altman earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Maryland, where she would later serve as the Director of Undergraduate Studies. She worked for many years with the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she served as Special Assistant on Disability Statistics to the Office of the Director. She also worked at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers, and employers across the United States that is the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage. Altman also played a key role in the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, an international group working under the auspices of the United Nations to develop culturally compatible measures of disability for international use. Along with Sharon Barnartt of Gallaudet University, Altman was a founding co-editor of the Emerald Insights book series Research in Social Science and Disability. She served as editor or co-editor of the series for many of the volumes from 1999 through 2017.
Altman’s research interests focused primarily on disability definition and measurement, financing and utilization of healthcare services by people with disabilities, and disability among minority groups, particularly Native Americans. She was the author of numerous articles and book chapters, including the chartbook Disability and Health in the United States, 2001-2005 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2008). In addition to her scholarship, Altman was engaged in disability advocacy in Maryland, lobbying the Maryland General Assembly and supporting and advising The Arc Montgomery County—a Maryland organization committed to connecting people of all ages and abilities with their communities to build inclusive and fulfilling lives.
Altman is survived by three sons and two grandchildren. She was generous with her time and expertise with colleagues and students, serving as a mentor, friend, colleague, and role model to many in our community. She will be missed.
Sharon N. Barnartt, Gallaudet University; Richard Scotch, University of Texas at Dallas
