I'm a cartoonist, journalist, historian, and mom. Three years ago, I stumbled upon a curious book...

It was published in 1935 and detailed an avant garde approach to raising kids with disabilities—kids like my son. It emphasized the inner life, wisdom, and dignity, not the medical paradigm. And it described a Robin Hood-themed summer camp in the wilds of Vermont where "spastic" children with few legal rights took on the roles of dashing outlaws...

What was happening there? 

Psychodrama? A budding social justice movement? A mini-theme park for crippled kids? My young son and I were determined to find out. With the help of a small-town history society, Lady Luck, and some very, very old people, we pieced together the fragments of a mythical chapter in disability history.

Gladys Gage Rogers and Leah Thomas, camp directors and life partners. 

What kind of thing is this?

The Outlaws is a 250-page graphic nonfiction book in which the story of Robin Hood's Barn is interwoven with my son's and my journey to understand disability, each other, and the history of children like him. The book will appeal to independent comics fans, parents, teens, and anyone who identifies with the beauty, brutality, and humor of life on the margins. 

Archival Material

My son and I were fortunate to access over 200 pages of camp memorabilia saved by the 103-year-old counselor who played Friar Tuck, including rosters, songs, poems, lecture notes, and a long correspondence with camp directors Gladys Gage Rogers and Leah Thomas. Over 100 photographs taken at Robin Hood's Barn survive, taken by Newell Green, a well-known Vermont photographer with cerebral palsy who lived across the road from the camp.

Campers and counselors in costume.

Campers in costume with bows and arrows.

The book was reviewed nationwide in 1935 and emphasized the inner life of children with disabilities.

"Who is patient, conquers."

Sherwood Barn. Campers were carried up to the hay loft to sleep and gathered downstairs for morning assembly.

Physical therapist Leah Thomas played the part of Robin Hood and built adaptive devices for the campers in her woodshop.

Dancing at the May Day celebration.

The 1937 roster of campers and counselors.