History of Disabilities in the United States
“The public birth of the disability rights movement… For the first time, disability really was looked at as an issue of civil rights rather than an issue of charity and… Read more »
Category: Dori Auslander
Introduction to the History of Disabilities in the US
The treatment and opinion of individuals with disabilities in the United States has radically changed since the late 1800s (Meldon 2017). Individuals with disabilities have fought a long and hard… Read more »
1848: “Beginnings”
In 1848 Samuel Gridley Howe opened one of the first special schools within the United States (Beginnings 2015). The school was named “The Massachusetts School for the Feeble Minded” within… Read more »
1918: “American Association for the Study of the Feeble-Minded” Meeting Minutes
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many states within the U.S. began to legalize the sterilization of woman with physical and intellectual disabilities (Burgin 2018). The American Journal of… Read more »
1919: Henry Goddard’s “The Kallikak Family: a Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness”
As discussed above, there was large debate during the 1910s about the right for women with disabilities to reproduce. Henry H. Goddard, a psychologist, did a case study on a… Read more »
1921: Margaret Sanger’s “The Eugenic Value of Birth Control Propaganda”
As the Introduction to the museum discusses, Margaret Sanger was an activist and leader in the Birth Control Movement (Burgin 2018). In the early 1900s when a large portion of… Read more »
1927: Buck v. Bell Supreme Court Case
Buck v. Bell is an extremely important Supreme Court Case in the history of disabilities and sterilization in the U.S. In Virginia sterilization was legalized in 1924 and Carrie Buck… Read more »
1929: President Roosevelt’s “An Address On Rehabilitation Of The Mentally and Physically Handicapped”
The excerpts above are from a speech President Roosevelt made after returning from a trip to New York where he visited schools and hospitals. In this speech, President Roosevelt talks… Read more »
1931: “Better Baby Contest”
The clip from a newspaper published in 1931 is advertising a “Better Baby Contest” at a State Fair in Michigan. After the large influx of immigrants to the United States,… Read more »
1946: Gordan Zahn’s “Slaves or Patients?”
This article by Zahn published in The Catholic Worker called “Slaves or Patients?” argues for the rights of individuals with disabilities. The article discusses, just as the title puts it,… Read more »
1963: President Kennedy’s “Special Message on Mental Illness and Mental Retardation”
President Kennedy’s Special Message on Mental Illness And Mental Retardation was given in the White House discussing new legislation for individuals with disabilities in the US. The speech lays out… Read more »
1966: “The Role of the National Association for Retarded Children in Program of Education and Training”
The journal article written by Stringham and Sengstock of the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC) explains their role and goals for supporting children with disabilities and their families specifically… Read more »
1977: “Patient No More” Kitty Cone’s Victory Speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ3kcSgAX-w Kitty Cone was one of the many leaders of the 504 Sit-In in California in 1977. The 504 Sit-In, as briefly talked about in the introduction, was over a… Read more »
1977: HolLynn DLil’s “Becoming Real in 24 Days: One Participants Story of the 1977 Section 504 Demonstration for Disability Rights”
HolLynn DLil was an activist in the Section 504 Demonstration. She decided to write a memoir about her experience as a participant in the Disability Rights Movement, specifically in the… Read more »
1990: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is one of the most important laws for people with disabilities. Above is a short excerpt from a very long piece of… Read more »
2000: “Does This Boy Deserve Asylum?” by Labi and Cray
This article in Time magazine titled “Does This Boy Deserve Asylum” highlights the continuing struggle in the most recent history of disability rights in the US. This article published in… Read more »
Primary Sources
American Association for the Study of the Feeble-Minded. American Journal of Mental Deficiency 23 (1918): 11-31. Accessed November 14, 2018. Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-336, 104… Read more »
Secondary Sources:
AAIDD. (2018). Use of Mental Retardation on this Website. Retrieved December 19, 2018, from https://aaidd.org/intellectual-disability/historical-context Annas, George J. 1984. “The Case of Baby Jane Doe: Child Abuse or Unlawful Federal… Read more »