History

Documents relevant to the history of services for people with disabilities.

*Note: These contents are assembled from several web sites, some of whom are now defunct. Although I have the documents in my records, I've provided the current links to available items. Copies of material from defunct sites, as well as my works, are provided below. Copyright belongs to the authors and/or publishers of the material according to the information contained in the documents. An internet search of the titles or of content from the material should be made for referencing purposes. The owner of this web site only claims authorship where indicated within the material.

A Brief History of Disability Rights Legislation in the United States

A People's History of the Independent Living Movement. Willig Levy, Chava. 1998. — Chava Willig Levy relates stories from the IL Movement to create a people's history. This mongraph explores human rather than social forces. It looks at who rather than what shaped the IL movement.

“AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC GAZE” A HISTORY OF THE FAIRVIEW TRAINING CENTER AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN OREGON -2008 — Fairview’s story then must be told for those who were there, for those who will never have to be and for policy makers and others who, for whatever reasons, might be inclined to reverse the trend to support people in their home communities.

Barbarism Lite: The Political Attack on Social Rights Published on Saturday February 21, 2009 — by Canadian politician, Ed Broadbent

Conscientious Objectors at State Institutions — What began as an attempt to address severe staff shortages at institutions during World War II resulted in a national campaign to reform America’s treatment of people with mental illness and mental retardation.

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES LAW: CURRENT AND FUTURE -1980

Disability History Association — an international non-profit organization that promotes the study of disabilities. This includes, but is not limited to, the history of individuals or groups with disabilities, perspectives on disability, representations/ constructions of disability, policy and practice history, teaching, theory, and Disability and related social and civil rights movements.

El Peecho's Pennhurst Page — This is a website dedicated to the former residents of the Pennhurst State School in Pennsylvania. It includes a good amount of information on Pennhurst, including first-hand accounts of what went on at the institution.

Faculty Papers: Burton Blatt Christmas in Purgatory -1965 — This classic photo essay of legally sanctioned human abuse in state institutions was written and photographed (1965) long before the current right-to-treatment lawsuits on behalf of institutionalized people.

From Darkness to Light: A Historical Note on South Australia's Services for the Developmentally Disabled 1961-1971 — This article reviews the changes that took place over the period of ten years beginning twenty six years ago in the care and management of a large group of intellectually retarded people

Hope For Retarded Children BY EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER -1962 — an historical article. This situation led to the creation under President Kennedy of the President's Committee on Mental Retardation and University-Affiliated Research Institutes on Mental Retardation

Independent Living Movement in the UK — Chapter One 1. Origin of Movement. 1.1 The Early Days

MUSEUM OF DISABILITY HISTORY — museum dedicated to advancing the understanding, acceptance and independence of people with disabilities in the United States.

Parallels In Time — A Six-Hour History of Disability by the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilties

Parallels in Time II — A continuation of the history of disabilities that covers the time period from 1950 to the present.

Speaking Notes on Disability History -D.Blackman, 2009 — Chronologically organized literature review done by the author of this website. Intro quote: History must be viewed in its overall context. It is fickle; affected by the times, political whims, popular attitudes (i.e., zeitgeist), economies, local and international influences/pressures, etc.. However, history is shaped and influenced by people with strong convictions or viewpoints operating at the right time and place to affect those around them either in positive or negative ways.

THE MOVEMENT FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING: A Brief History By: Maggie Shreve, Consultant — A brief look at the history of how people with disabilities have been treated by various Western cultures can help us see how the movement for independent living began in this country.

the tragedy and hope of retarded children, Burton Blatt, 1967 — Early concerns raised about institutional life.

With an Eye to the Past: The History of Deinstitutionalization in Minnesota — For more historical resources on disabilities see http://www.mnddc.org/

Women in Male Dominated Trades It’s still a man’s world -2008 — The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the factors which may be influencing low participation rates of women in the skilled trades, as well as the issues that affect women in these occupational areas in Saskatchewan