Historical And Legal Issues Of Developmental Disabilities By James R. Thompson

In the book “The disability rights movement” I learned the history and process people with disabilities have been going through in order to obtain an equality of rights in the United States. The book was written by Doris Zames Fleisher and her sister Frieda Zames as a way of raising awareness of the reality of people with disabilities. Frieda Zames an activist in favor of the American disabilities act, wrote this book to tell the story of civil rights movement and to make people aware of the struggles that people with disabilities go through at the same time raising the word for equality. The book demonstrates how grievances regarding medical issues can be addressed in a democratic society by giving examples such as the life of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a significant figure in this movement, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president with disabilities, who contracted polio eleven years before he became president. He was a significant figure in the movement because he served as an example of the capabilities a person with a disabilities can have. He was also an advocate of

Throughout the ages, people with disabilities have been hidden away at homes or institutions and were often not educated. This was common practice and as such, when the education system was designed, children with disabilities were not even considered. Then, starting soon after the civil rights movement in the 50’s, a series of lawsuits was brought against school boards and the federal government took notice. Then the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was passed and these children were finally allowed the education they deserved. As time went

During the 1950s, people who had a disability had two options of housing which included living with their families or living in an institution. However, families did not receive much support since most public welfare services were used towards institutional care, such as mental hospitals and orphanages. Throughout the 1960s there were movements to deinstitutionalize, which at that time basically led to smaller institutions. The 1970s allowed for even smaller community-based residential services that were typically designed for not more than 12 people that were similar in terms of age, independence, or ability. Even though different funding was available, many standards were violated in most of the institutions. Throughout the 70s there were movements to close state institutions and provide more community residential services as well as family support. During the 1980s groundwork for families was laid to expand their control of the nature of the support they received and more options were available to help out with living outside an institution. People with developmental disabilities began to gain increased support to having homes of their own during the 1990s and funded had dramatically increased to over $735 for family support programs in 1998. In 2001 the federal government began a new freedom initiative to “remove barriers to community living for people of all ages with disabilities and long-term illness.” In 2011 the decision that the isolation of people with

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

Today’s society is different in its thinking when dealing with people with disabilities. There had to be many changes made in its labeling, and approach when dealing with people who may have physical/mental differences. The ostracize behavior that people were known to disturb in society has changed a great deal, due to the many federal laws that have been put in place to insure the well-being of people that have disabilities. In 1972, one very well-known case is Mill vs Board of Education of the District of Columbia this case address how the constituted rights of students were not being meet by not providing them with a public education.” Many disabled children had been excluded from public education prior to 1975,24 Congress, through the Act, sought initially to set up a process by which states would find children in need of educational services and bring them into the system”(Kotler, p.491,2014).

For starters, disabled people in the United States were not always treated equal, as they are today. As recent as the mid 1900’s, disabled people were stripped of their rights and experimented on. From 1950 to 1972 the Willowbrook State

The history of the Americans with Disabilities Act began long before it was originally introduced to Congress in 1988. (Mayerson, 1992). There isn’t one person responsible for the ADA but rather thousands of Americans who have fought for the rights of people with disabilities and constantly worked to make their lives easier. People with disabilities for a long time were thought of as outsiders in society and were shunned by the majority. It wasn’t until the 1900’s when organizations by and for people with disabilities exploded in popularity and began to get attention and make real positives changes for people struggling with disabilities (Meldon). A profound and historic period for disability public policy occurred under

This article begins with Mary Forr discussing how society has reached the point where people with disabilities are faced with the greatest form of discrimination available and how this type of discrimination grows when other persons within society get rid of individuals who have any genetic differences through abortions. Next Forr discusses the history of discrimination and how person with disabilities have been treated as “less than human.” Forr even gives and excellent example of this when she quotes Aristotle, “Let there be a law that no deformed child shall live.” In this instance Forr explains how the child was seen as a liability on the society in which it lived in and the child’s death was determined to be a greater benefit. Forr continues

How does this social construction of disabilities impact institutional policies, and societal and individual behaviors regarding disabilities? In other words, how have people with disabilities been marginalized in the past and present at those three levels? Please be specific and provide examples to support your answers.

The Americans with Disabilities Act initiated on July 26, 1990 was not the beginning of the disabled rights movement (Mayerson). The effort to break the barriers of exclusion of the disabled from society began with committed people who voiced the rights of millions of disabled citizens. During the 19th century the disabled were often forced into insane asylums for the good of society and often received mental and physical abuse (Brignell). Fortunately, there have been noticeable improvements for recognizing the justice of the disabled as members of society. In 1973, the segregation of the disabled is recognized by section 504 of the Rehibilitaion Act as discrimination. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act, they can participate in the

Prior to the 1970’s, those with intellectual disabilities were placed in institutions, but after this time there was an effort to keep people with intellectual disabilities in their own communities. This change has both positive and negative implications. While this brought people with intellectual disabilities back to their communities and helped them integrate into a more normal way of life, many are now in jails or homeless.

The individuals with Disabilities Education Act states that "all children with disabilities, including mental retardation, be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with students who are not disabled" (2). In an ideal world, society would have no problem following this decree, but the world is less than perfect and, therefore, stigmas are unfortunately attached to those suffering from mental disabilities, especially the mentally retarded. One has to question whether this group of people deserves these stigmas. Having grown up with two severely retarded cousins and, for that matter, a great uncle suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, I often wondered as to what was happening

When discussed what, it means to be a discriminated or oppressed as an individual, especially a person with an intellectual disability, we must first look at the terminology and how it will be relatable for their circumstances. For discrimination, it is described as people or groups of people, which include race, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, who are and continued to be defined as “other,” when they are perceived through “dominant” group values. These groups are treated in exclusionary ways, and subjected to all kinds of social injustice and economic inequality, (Anderson & Collins, 2013). In other words, persons with intellectual disabilities tend to be treated less favorable, or not given

Historically, children born with disabilities were isolated, excluded and dependent on other people. Families would have feelings of shame and guilt giving birth to a child with a disability. Society viewed a child with a disability a personal tragedy and it was left to the families to cope. This all began to change after World War II when many soldiers came home with acquired disabilities. Several Acts of Congress were put in place to give rights to those with disabilities. Most notably, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 2008 which gave individuals with disabilities full rights to participate in society and full access equally to education, work and transportation, just to name a few

This week’s discussion dealt with Individuals and Disabilities. Over the years, people who have a “disability" have been subjected to prejudice and more. And the first way to diminish someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person as "less-than," as "the others—not like us," and so forth. Once a person has been identified this way, it makes