Historical Perspective
Prehistoric and Ancient Times
There is evidence from archaeological findings showing that people lived with disabilities in prehistoric times, and these findings show that in some cases, family members or other people close to the individual would care for the disabled person. In Ancient Egypt, people were much more accepting and open-minded towards disabled individuals. But in Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as in many early Christian and African societies, attitudes had changed. Infanticide was popularized for both eugenic and religious reasons. Many philosophers of the time, including Aristotle and Plato, believed that children who had disabilities would burden available resources. If these children made it to adulthood, they would often end up as "low-level" workers, beggars, or court jesters (Murphy, 2024).
The Middle Ages and Renaissance Period
Attitudes and practices regarding disability progressed as society moved into the Middle Ages. While disabled people still struggled with oppression, children were no longer abandoned, and many disabled people were working members of society (Murphy, 2024). Courts provided support for people who had intellectual disabilities allowing them to live more independently, and they would also offer support to families if they were struggling to support their loved one due to financial problems (Thomas, 2020).
​
In the Renaissance Period, attitudes continued to shift in a positive direction. Instead of being viewed as "possessed," people with mental illnesses and disabilities were commonly viewed as "sick" or "ill" - still not a great view of the disabled, but moving in the right direction comparatively. Mental hospitals began to open, and even though they were largely ineffective at treating people with disabilities, the study of disability symptoms and causes began. At the same time, blind and deaf people began to receive training and care that was not previously offered or provided to them (Murphy, 2024).
The Enlightenment and The Industrial Revolution
During the Enlightenment period (the late 17th to the early 18th century), there was a significant shift in the way disabilities were perceived, largely in part to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant. These two philosophers of the Enlightenment advocated for the dignity and inherent worth of all human beings, no matter their physical or intellectual differences. This mindset led to a more inclusive approach to individuals with disabilities, and was the groundwork for future movements that would advocate for equal rights and social integration of the disabled (Murphy, 2024).
​
The Industrial Revolution was a mixed bag for people with disabilities. With the gains made during the Enlightenment, people with intellectual disabilities were often working alongside others in group cooperatives. But with the move towards individual wages and salaries during the Industrial Revolution, people with intellectual disabilities began to be perceived as a financial burden on their families as well as society in general. So in the early 1800s, small institutions were set up where people with intellectual disabilities were trained to become "productive members of society" with the aim being reintegration into society (Thomas, 2020).
​
Later in the 19th century, larger institutions that were government-funded began to pop up. These goal of these institutions was to contain and segregate people with intellectual disabilities from society, as it was believed that they needed to be sheltered from the public at-large to keep them safe due to their "vulnerability." Intellectual disabilities were also thought to be heritable, so the thought was that they should be segregated to prevent their conditions from becoming more prevalent (Thomas, 2020).
The 20th Century and Present Times
At the beginning of the 20th century, the U.S. government issued the Mental Deficiency Act 1913, which formally recommended the institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities, and making it a legal requirement for local authorities to offer institutional care (Murphy, 2024). World War I and World War II had a significant impact on disability. Many people who fought in the wars came back home disabled, so infrastructure was needed to support these individuals, and the perception of these individuals led to increased awareness for the needs and rights of disabled individuals. These two wars led to the creation and expansion of rehabilitation services for those with physical and mental disabilities (Murphy, 2024).
​
During the 1950s and 1960s, the public had growing doubts about the appropriateness of institutional care for the disabled. This doubt triggered the transition towards community-based care. In particular, the Brooklands Experiment, led by Professor Jack Tizard at Maudsley Hospital in London, showed that children with intellectual disabilites who lived in smaller, home-like environments, showed improved development of their social, emotional, and verbal skills, compared to children living in long-stay hospitals/institutions over a period of 2 years . This led to the concept of "normalization" in 1972, first defined by Wolf Wolfensberger as the idea that people with intellectual disabilities should have the same rights as the general population. Wolfensberger later redefined normalization as "social role valorization" which said that increasing integration of people with intellectual disability in the community, and therefore allowing people to have direct experiences with them, would challenge negative stereotypes and lead attitudes toward people with intellectual disability to become more positive. These ideas led to the development of the Social Model of Disability which is widely accepted today (Thomas, 2020).
​
One of the most significant pieces of disability legislation was the American with Disabilities Act, or ADA, that was passed in 1990. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. The ADA ensures that those with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities, and it has a profound impact on accessibility and inclusion in the United States. And in 2008, the ADA was expanded so the definition of "disability" is expanded to include more people. This 2008 expansion also increased the situations, organizations, and people to which the ADA applies (Murphy, 2024).
​
The 21st century has been witness to massive advancements in technology, medicine, and societal attitudes towards disability. In 1999, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) began publishing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines provide standards to ensure accessibility of web content for disabled people. Advancements in Artificial Intelligence have also helped expedite the creation of accessible materials. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality provide environments that can be utilized by individuals with physical disabilities to compensate for their lack of mobility. We have come a long way since the Prehistoric Times, but there is still much work to do in regards to accessibility for the disabled community.
​
Pictures above are from iStock library, Disability - A Brief Historical Overview by Kyle Murphy (Murphy, 2024), and Intellectual Disability: Past, Present and Future by Lucrezia Thomas (Thomas, 2020)
