6. History of the Disability Movement
Slide presentation available.
Contact:
Tina Calabro
Paul O’Hanlon
History of the Disability Movement
Photo courtesy of Tom Olin

7. Disability Rights Movement
Struggle to gain full citizenship
Demand for equality, independence, autonomy, access to public life
Integration vs. “separate but equal”
Source: American History Museum, Smithsonian Institution

8. In other words… “No More Pity” “Access not excuses” “I’m not dead yet”
“I am not a case, and I don’t need to be managed”
“Same struggle/different difference”

9. Person-First Language

10. Common Reactions to Disability
Assumptions about level of functioning
Focus on limitations
Fear
Ignore the person
Patronize
Pity

11. Many Americans are not aware of the amount of ongoing advocacy needed to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities.

12. Historically…
People with disabilities have been forced into dependency.
Others speak for them, label them
take care of them…
often with the best intentions.
Source: American History Museum, Smithsonian Institution

13. New Understandings -Disability is part of the human experience.
-Barriers are not created by disability, but by society’s response to it.
-People with disabilities have a right to participate in all facets of life.
-Society has a responsibility to remove the barriers that exclude them.

14. Paul

15. Late 1700s Nearly total neglect of people with disabilities
in “poor houses”
and prison have
disabilities
Services for
disabled veterans
begin.
Source: Carol Berrigan, Center for Human Policy,
Syracuse University

16. 1800s Rise of “asylums” – institutes for the care
of people, especially
those with physical
and mental disabilities

17. 1817
Gallaudet founded American Asylum for Education and Instruction of the Deaf established in Hartford, CT. Emphasis on development

18. 1812 -- School for blind children opened in Baltimore
School for blind children opened in Baltimore. Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind (est. 1832) had curriculum like regular schools.
Early “mainstreaming” -- understanding that people who were blind or deaf could be integrated into society, did not need to be sent away to institutions.
Source: Carol Berrigan, Center for Human Policy, Syracuse University

19. 1849 Reformer Dorothea Dix demanded state oversight of almshouses,
where disabled people,
criminals and others
were thrown
together.
Source: ”No Pity,” Joseph P. Shapiro

20. Dix wrote that she had found people with mental illness and retardation “in cages, in closets, cellars. Stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience.”
Result: States took over almshouses and built more, and set up specialized facilities for disabled and others who populated the almshouses.
Source: “No Pity,” Joseph P. Shapiro

21. 1854
First legislation to obtain federal funding for facilities for physically and mentally disabled vetoed by President Franklin Pierce.
Set precedent for no federal
intervention for next 50 years.
Source: “No Pity,” Joseph P. Shapiro

22. 1869 First classroom for children with disabilities (deafness) in regular elementary school (Boston). Later expanded to include other disabilities.
By late 1800s, term “asylum”
changed to “hospital,’
“school,” “institute”
Source: Carol Berrigan, Center for Human Policy, Syracuse University

23. By 1875 -- 25 state schools and institutes in U.S
Although centers may have begun with education in mind, most became custodial, segregated, isolated

24. How Americans Learned about Human Difference in 1800s
Dime
Museums
Freak Shows
Cabinet of
Curiosities
Source: Disability History Museum

25. Eugenics
Social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through intervention.The goal is to create healthier, more intelligent people, save society's resources, and lessen human suffering.
Historically, eugenics has been used as a justification for human rights violations, such as forced sterilization of persons with genetic defects. Nazi Germany is example.

26. By 1933, 26 states had sterilization laws inspired by eugenics.
Between 1909 and 1935, California doctors used eugenics to justify sterilization of 295 patients in Mendocino mental hospital.
By 1933, 26 states had sterilization laws inspired by eugenics.
Source: exhibition, “Deadly Medicine: Creating a Master Race,”Andy Warhol Museum, Fall 2006

27. In 1905, Pennsylvania legislature passed a law entitled “An Act for the Prevention of Idiocy.”

28. Governor Samueal Pennypacker vetoed the law. He wrote:
“Scientists, like all other men whose experiences have been limited to one pursuit…sometimes need to be restained. Men of high scientific attainment are prone …to lose sight of broad principles outside their domain….To permit such an operation would be to inflict cruelty upon a helpless class…which the state has undertaken to protect.”
Source: exhibition, “Deadly Medicine: Creating a Master Race,”Andy Warhol Museum, Fall 2006

29. 1910
Publication of The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism, Disease and Heredity, Richard Dugsdale.
Claimed that mental retardation was the result of “bad blood.”
Linked criminal tendencies to “feeblemindedness and mental defect.”

30. 1915 Publication of Menace of Mental Retardation, W.A. Fernald Crime
Delinquency
Promiscuousness

31. Ideas/Terms Persist Eugenics, until 1960s
Term “cripple” used from late 18th century to 1970s
Term “defective” used from late 1700s to 1930s
Term “dumb” (unable to speak) used from early 1800s until 1970s.

32. Term “idiot” coined by psychologists in late 19th century to describe person with severe cognitive disability.
Term “moron” coined by psychologists in 1910 to describe person with mental age of 7-12 years old
Source: Disability History Museum

33. 1918-1920 First federally-funded rehabilitation programs
Disability population grows –
WWI veterans, victims of industrial accidents

34. 1930s – 1940s
Depression
Social Security
WWII vets

35. Tina

36. 1930s s Parents Organize
Parents who did not want their children institutionalized or banned from public schools sought each other and started to organize.
Concerned about lack of community resources and support, need for “special education.”

37. Questioning the statement:“Nothing can be done for your child”
Belief that society has a responsibility to help people with disabilities have decent lives
Advocated for laws that improved education, rehabilitation and civil rights

39. More than 100 responded to the advertisement and more than 200 attended the meeting

40. 88 local groups By 1950… 33 different organizations in 19 States
Slide 4-5
Trainer will highlight that these groups:
Were parent-organized and independent.
Represented over 20,000 people.
Trainer will explain that:
The American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) provided a forum for parents to meet at its conferences in 1949 and 1950.
A handful of parents provided leadership in organizing what became the “National Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children.”
National Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children

41. 1992-present 1953-1973 1973-1981 1981-1992 Trainer will explain that:
Slide 4-6
Trainer will explain that:
The “National Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children” became the National Association for Retarded Citizens (NARC) in 1953.
The Arc, as it is known today, has changed its name and broadened its mission since its beginning.
1992-present

42. Trainer will explain that:
Slide 4-7
Trainer will explain that:
The parent movement continued to grow in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Hundreds of organizations exist today at the national, state, and local levels.
These organizations provide websites and other electronic vehicles for parents to connect with each other.
Trainer will:
Refer to the previous discussion about the Family Resources Guide as a source for such organizations.

43. 1950s-1960s
Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and African American civil rights movement set stage for disability rights advocacy
Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin

44. Brown vs Board of Education 1954 Civil Rights Act 1964
Slide 4-10
Trainer will explain that:
Brown vs. Board of Education, which is viewed as the beginning of the civil rights movement, outlawed segregation in the public schools.
Like the parents in Brown vs. the Board of Education, parents of children with disabilities realized that their children’s rights were being violated when they were barred from attending public schools.
The Civil Rights Act broke down the barriers of racial segregation in all aspects of our society.
Similarly, parents of children with disabilities and adults with disabilities began to realize that they were entitled to the same rights as those without disabilities.
Civil Rights Act
1964

45. 1960s
Advocates fight for laws that ensured civil rights, substantive education, and rehabilitation -- and eliminated custodial practices
Federal Bureau for the Handicapped established (1966)

46. International Symbol of Access (1968)

47. Paul

48. Legislative History Trainer will explain that:
Elementary
&
Secondary
Education
Act (ESEA)
1954
1964
1965
1967
1972
1973
1975
1986
1990
1997
2003
Civil
Rights
Act
Sec 504
Rehabilitation
P.L.
Americans
With
Disabilities
Act (ADA)
PARC Vs PA
Mills
Brd of Ed
P.L
of All
Handicapped
Children
Act (EHA)
P.L
EHA
Amendments
P.L
IDEA
Reauthori-
zattion
MH/MR
Act 212
Brown vs
Board of
Economic
Opportunities
(Head Start)
Head Start
zationt
Legislative History
Adapted from Family First Training, Temple University, 2003
P.L
(Becomes
IDEA)
Slide 4-9
Trainer will explain that:
This slide represents some of the most important court cases and laws to safeguard the rights of people with disabilities in society and schools.
The green boxes represent civil rights cases and legislation.
The other boxes represent cases and laws that have molded the education of children with disabilities.
The trainer will point out that:
The participants have a copy of this slide in their handouts.

49. De-institutionalization & Normalization
Public exposure of
inhumane
conditions in
institutions
Families’ desire for
children to live at
home, attend school,
and be part of the
community
Source: Disability History Museum

50. Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MH/MR) Act of 1967:
The
Pennsylvania
Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MH/MR) Act of 1967:
The seeds of deinstitutionalization
& normalization
Slide 4-11
Trainer will explain that:
The MH/MR Act, which established the State’s Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program, initiated local services for individuals with mental illness and mental retardation.
Before this, services were only available on an inpatient basis in state mental hospitals and state centers.

51. 1970s
Title IX of Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination
Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on basis of disability
Age Discrimination Act of 1975

52. 1970s
PARC Decree (1971)– guaranteed free and appropriate education in PA
Mills vs. Board of Education (1972)– expanded educational opportunities

53. Mills vs Board of Education (1972) PA Association for Retarded
Children (PARC)
vs Commonwealth
Of Pennsylvania
(1972)
Slide 4-15
Trainer will explain that:
The Mills vs Board of Education decision made it unlawful for children to be excluded from school because of the severity of their disabilities.
The PARC vs the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania decision ruled that children with disabilities were entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

54. 1975
Public Law
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)
Later re-named “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

55. Individuals with Disabilities Eduction Act (IDEA)
Guarantees free and appropriate education
Assures rights of child and parents
Assists states and localities to pay for special education
Assures and assesses delivery of special education

56. 4 million students in schools were not receiving services they needed
In 1975, more than one million children with disabilities were excluded from public education
4 million students in schools were not receiving services they needed
Source: US Dept. of Education

57. In 2002, 5.6 million
students received
services under IDEA
-1984 – 25%
in regular classes
-1995 – 45%

58. Add information about Gaskin Settlement and other supports for LRE, families who seek inclusive education educations, educators who want to become able to provide it.

59. 1970s Independent Living Movement
Establishment of first Independent Living Center (Berkeley)
Cross-disability
Integration into community is goal
Approach problems as social issues
Emphasis on self-determination (speaking for ourselves, taking control of own lives)

60. Pioneers
Ed Roberts – key figure in beginning of Independent Livig Movement
Justin Dart – considered the “father of the ADA”
Judy Heumann – denied a teaching certificate because of physical disability

61. Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
One of the most
significant civil rights
documents of the
20th century
Prohibits disability
discrimination by
public entities
Mixed bag of legal protections and dilemmas.
Source: American History Museum, Smithsonian Institution

62. Impact of the ADA
Increased participation and visibility of people with disabilities
Improved
communication
access
Source: American History Museum, Smithsonian
Institution

63. Reshaping the environment
Curb-cuts
Buses with lifts
Accessible ATMs
Barrier-free design
Accessibility/visitability
Voter access

64. Universal Design
Design of products so they are usable by all people, to the greatest degree possible, without need for adaptation or specialized design

65. 1998 Assistive Technology Act
Access to information and communication through technology such as tele-captioners, voice recognition systems, voice synthesizers, screen readers.
Any device or system, simple or complex, designed to help a person with a disability to perform various tasks and activities.

66. Ongoing Advocacy Employment Housing Transportation Healthcare
Community-Based Services
Waiting lists

67. A Voting Factoid
According to the latest census, 35 million Americans with disabilities are of voting age. This means that voters with disabilities are now one of the largest potential voting blocs in American politics.

68. An Employment Factoid
The unemployment rate among people with serious disabilities is the highest of any group of Americans, no matter their education or qualifications. Roughly 70 percent of working-age people with significant disabilities are not working.
- U. S. Census Bureau

69. Diverse constituencies
Disability “family” issues
Physical, cognitive, mental health, sensory
Parent – Offspring issues
Disability onset issues
Class and income
Duration and inheritance

70. Diverse arenas / allies
Zoning issues in R-1 districts
Sidewalks – their presence and maintenance
Agency control vs. individual control
Medical care provided in a self-directed manner
Classroom arrangements and dynamics
Employment and issues of value and worth
A seat on the bus