Historical Overview of Disability PDF

Historical Overview  Disability perception has changed over time Not thought of in historical contexts as it is today Key Disability is a social concept o Lack of stability across time and place o Impacted by social a...

Historical Overview  Disability perception has changed over time Not thought of in historical contexts as it is today Key Disability is a social concept o Lack of stability across time and place o Impacted by social and environmental Concepts factors A change in descriptive language o Fools o Idiots o Morons o Feeble-minded Classical Era An Era of Duality Natural Evidence such as Shanidar Cultural Evidence through documentation, tools, art, architecture Society was generally unkind o Physical differences=inferiority Aristotle's Law Greece o Anger by the Gods, negative attitudes, and frequent rejection Rome o Advanced medical procedures intended to prevent or cure some disabilities o Blind, deaf, or ID were thrown in the river or mutilated o Royalty exploited those referred to as fools, for their amusement (court jesters) o The Law of the Twelve Tables  Classical Era Cont'd Evidence of the presence of individuals with disabilities with a variety of conditions o Does not necessarily specify intellectual disability Towards the end of the era o Still different, still excluded o More humane ▪ Infanticide ceased ▪ Helping 'afflicted' individuals was a sign of strength o Treatments ▪ Calls for divine intervention ▪ Herbal Remedies ▪ Prosthetic devices ▪ Surgery o Catholic church as a refuge ▪ Orphanages ▪ Hospitals ▪ Homes For the blind, aged, and disabled The Middle Ages Disability = Poverty Natural Fools and Idiots o General referral to individuals that did not accept the typical responsibilities of adult life o Lacked objective criteria 1100's came a distinction between individuals with mental illness and intellectual disability 1300's led to further distinction between individuals through the law The Middle Ages 4 Interrelated Characteristics that may explain more about how disabilities were addressed o Moral Perspective o Lack of Distinction between Body and Mind o Lack of Expectations o Understanding Among People with disabilities Important notes of this era: o Little conceptualization; broader terms such as natural fools and idiot o The rise of charity as a social and moral obligation o Charitable institutions established values for caring for those who are different Industrial Revolution Social and personal changes, specifically economic Growth of the view of disability as "difference" and can be categorized o Descriptions starting as early as 1534 o Phenomenology o Separation of Mind and Body o Redefinition of Nature o Theological Debates o Rights to think and decide o Industrial Revolution o Legislation  Social Reform 20th Century views o Can be educated and live in the community leading productive lives Training schools o Increasing awareness = increase in the number of institutions Make them fit o Education and humanitarian means makes the deviant, un-deviant The Rise of Institutions o Number of training schools>commitment to training o Schools turned to asylums o 1870-1880 admissions based on instruction o 1875 saw an increase in custodial institutions Eugenics Late 19th early 20th Century there was a focus on Eugenics o Better breeding o Hereditary o Sterilization Who is the most well-known proponent of Eugenics? o Adolf Hitler o Aryan race was the master race, all other should be eliminated o Adults and children with mental and physical disabilities were among the 1st groups targeted by the Nazis o Changed perspectives for the US about social control Early Education 1849- Massachusetts school for Idiotic Children and Youth lead the way to schools and educational programs in California, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania by 1880 1860- Imbecile: potentially teachable; indicated that individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities were beginning to be understood on a spectrum o Focused on vocational programs instead of developing academic skills The Start of Change 1954 Brown v Board of Education o Edward Roberts 1960's saw dissatisfaction with institutions o Failing to meet the most basic needs of the people they were intended to serve 1961- the President's Panel on Mental Retardation 1971- Community based service provisions Gradual process of deinstitutionalization of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Affecting Change and Public Attitudes Parents Movement o 1950's-1970's o Goal to improve conditions in state institutions o Create community services o Educational and employment opportunities o Initiate legislation o Challenge historic ideas about individuals with disabilities Guilt and Shame morphed toward advocacy by family members o Pearl Buck- The Child Who Never Grew o Dale Evans- Angel Unaware Normalization Movement Started in Denmark in the late 1950's o Advocating for better treatment of their children with intellectual disabilities Normalization is not making people normal but allowing all individuals to live according to normal patterns o Making everyday life available Many Gains in the last 50+ years, but challenges remain o Laws and Barriers o Access and Isolation o Recognition and Exploitation Legislation 1693- Massachusetts: An Act for the Relief of Idiots and Distracted Persons 1882-The Immigration Act of 1882; o 1907-The Act was amended 1911- sterilization laws o Upheld in the Supreme Court o Forced sterilization remained legal until 2003 Buck v Bell 1927 1942- Supreme Court ruled on procreation as a fundamental right 1963- Community Mental Health Act 1968-Arichtectural Barriers Act More Legislation 1971- Wyatt v Stickney 1973- Rehabilitation Act 1975- Education for All Handicapped Children Act o 1990-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1979- Halderman v Pennhurst State School & Hospital 1986- Fair Labor Standards Act 1938 was amended 1990- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) o 5 Titles 1999- Olmstead v L.C. Thought Questions: What stereotypes did you grow up with? How were individuals with disabilities viewed... oIn school? oIn your home? How visible were SPED Classmates when you were in school?