The records of the Society for the Preservation of Michigan Special Education History include both records of the organization (minutes, agenda, newsletters, mailing, correspondence, reports, etc.) as well as materials collected from individuals active in the field of special education. Some of the materials were clearly identified as belonging to either Richard Baldwin, Arselia Sehler Ensign, and Robert Luce and were kept together as separate series. Other materials, less clearly defined, were arranged by the organization or agency that created them. The kinds of documents in the collection include reports, minutes of meetings, newsletters, educational manuals, directives from the Michigan Department of Education and other agencies, copies and analyses of legislation under consideration by the state legislature, policy statements, and memoranda and correspondence.
The series in the record group include: Society for the Preservation of Michigan Special Education History organization records; Richard Baldwin papers; Arselia Sheler Ensign papers; Robert Luce papers; Michigan Federation Chapters of the Council for Exceptional Children; Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education; Michigan School for the Blind; Statewide Communication and Dissemination System; Citizens Alliance to Uphold Special Education; Physically Impaired Association of Michigan; Statewide Technical Assistance Network in Special Education; Local planning and instructional manuals; and Published material.
The Society for the Preservation of Michigan Special Education History (SPMSEH) was formed in 1988 by a group of individuals who were concerned that the history of special education in Michigan be known and that the source material for the study of this history be preserved. The organization was governed by a board of directors and met at the annual convention of the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children and the Summer Institute of the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education. One of the aims of the organization was to establish an archive and library of materials relating to special education. To this end, several special education leaders and administrators donated a variety of materials to the organization. These included Richard Baldwin who was Director of Office of Special Education, Michigan Department of Education in 1996 and long-time executive secretary of the SPMSEH; Arselia Sehler Ensign, member of the Michigan Special Education Advisory Committee; Robert Luce, one-time president Michigan Federation Chapters, Council for Exceptional Children, legislative chair of the Saginaw Chapter of CEC, and director of special education of the Midland Intermediate School District; and Irene Gromek, who was with the Macomb Intermediate School District. The organization dissolved in 2001 and the materials that had been collected turned over to the Saginaw Valley State University and maintained as the Michigan Special Education History Archive.
