Disability Dbq

People with disabilities have not been treated fairly in the past. I believe that that those with disabilities have been treated worse than the elderly. They were not allowed to go to school with the normal kids; they were not allowed to work at most jobs. They were teased and made fun of, sometimes there were rejected by their own families. When they were in the mental hospitals they were treated very harsh, they sometimes had to go through shock therapy. Even though they are different types of disabilities, if was something that was noticeable you were treated different, as if you did not belong.

People with impairments could no longer participate in the mainstream economy and had the option of either being “fixed” by medical professionals or remaining ostracized. Basically, if an individual did not fit the norm, they could not be part of mainstream society. This basic formula is still relevant today due to the same hegemonic forces being at work since the industrial revolution.

The article “introducing disability Studies” by Ronald J. Berger was an eye opener in uncovering the past history of negative stigma associated with having a disability. Through history people have felt the need to stare at people with disabilities or to turn away in fear of maybe contracting the “disease”. This negative attitude was positively reinforced by ordinances such as the Chicago “ugly law” in which a person with physical deformities would have to pay a fine for simply being too “disgusting” looking to other citizens. This law was in place from 1880 to 1973, which is pretty recent in history. However there are positive glimpse in history when it came to uncovering and defining disabilities. Men like Leo Kanner and Asperger have dedicated

The medical model of disability was started around the early 19th century, when physicians and doctors started to have a more prevalent influence on society. Modern medicine was beginning to make advances and priests were no longer seen as the only place people could go to for help.

People in authority tend to disregard those who and that which does not benefit them, since the poor did not seem to benefit anybody, people in authority found them useless. For instance, Emperor Charles V wrote an imperial decree for the Netherlands in 1531, where he stated that alms should not be given freely to the Europeans living in poverty, in doing so not only does he believe they will fall into idleness but he thinks they will take advantage of this and live their lives based off of alms, and that it will soon lead to all evils (document 2). He states that “beggars and their children will abandon their trade or occupation for a wicked and contemptible life… above all those who are poor and sick, and other indigents unable to earn

The Progressive Era from 1890-1920, was the response to the issues and injustices created by industrialization and modernization. The country had made sweeping advancements in the previous years, yet neglected to address the downfalls of the time period. However, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States as a whole, worked together towards achieving effective reform. Two of the main goals were restoring economic competition and making the government more effective and democratic. Although a lot of reform efforts were enacted, a large portion of those efforts fell short of fully achieving their purpose. Overall, the progressives did not effectively achieve their goals in regard to the economy and government.

From 1880s-1930s mechanization has increased in both Japan and India. More machines had started to be used than using one’s hands which produced more cotton than hand spinning would have. Female workers were overworked in the cotton factories that favored using machines instead of hand spinning to increase the production of cloth and yarn.

It is a natural tendency for people to assume that they are smarter than people that are younger than they are. It is widely thought that with age, comes more knowledge, and a better understanding of the world. However, this thinking can't be used as a broad statement for entire generations of people. While there certainly are older people that are much wiser than younger people, this fact doesn't mean that younger generations as a whole are dumb. With the knowledge and discoveries made by previous generations at the disposal of younger generation's, the young people of today are smarter than ever.

America felt the need to move towards the idea of foreign policy from 1895 to 1920; their success was a combination of idealism and self-interest. Both were influential in the decision to venture outside of U.S borders. America expanded due to idealistic view such as: The White Man’s Burden, Religious motivation, a social contract with the Western Hemisphere and the Spanish American War. However, self interest offered more of a substantial force with America’s desire for a stronger Navy, foreign market, power, pride, and the influences of the Roosevelt Corollary. When both ideas are combined they create one of the most influential and globally shaping decisions of our world.

People do bad things in a group setting for numerous reasons falling under the category of social influencing. In many cases people tend to succumb to “deindividuation” in which they let go of their individual morals and mimic group behavior.

When the power got into the hands of stupid people unfit for governing the country, they had to find a way to protect their position. So they came with the idea of handicaps, which brought all the above-average people and the average people to the level of the below-average ones. Thus, their position of power was preserved. The result was that people lost their individuality, lost their humanity.

What socio-historical factors play into the social construction of disabilities? Please be specific and provide examples to support your answers.

In the 1930`s people who handicapped would be considered metal and would be placed in a mental hospital and would not have the right to do anything. In todays society people who are handicapped are treated with respect and are not thrown into mental hospitals. You cannot judge a person based on something like that

In ancient era 1500B.C-475AD natural phenomena’s or seasonal changes is related to gods or kind of intervention on higher beings, during these time there is no history recordings of people with disabilities because physical disabilities is seen as a mark of inferiority. The first recording of mental disability is in 1552 B.C in a document known as Therapeutic Papyrus of Thebes. During this era, the Greeks and the Romans believed they represented the ideal human type and they view themselves superior to other races.

When people have a disability it is life changing for them. They cannot just flip a switch and turn it off; most times it is a permanent ordeal. Participating in this experience opened my eyes even more to specifically what disabled people go through on a daily basis.