As 2003 recipients of the Henry B. Betts Award, Dick and Ginny Thornburgh donated the $50,000 Henry B. Betts Award to the University of Pittsburgh to help establish the Thornburgh Family Lecture Series in Disability Law and Policy. The Betts Award was presented by the American Association of People with Disabilities. The Award was created by the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 1989 and is named for Henry B. Betts, M.D. in recognition of his pioneering leadership in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation and decades of dedicated service to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
The award is given to individuals who have, in the course of their work, helped to lead the societal transformation that is producing dramatically better outcomes and higher expectations for the diverse groups that make up the disability community in the United States. The recipients have demonstrated a strong vision and understanding of how to improve the quality of life for Americans with disabilities; they possess a record of efforts and accomplishments that have affected a wide disability population; and they have served as a powerful force for change, enhancing the opportunities for people with disabilities to participate fully in all aspects of society.