Reflection on the History of Developmental Disabilities

     Over the years, the way people have viewed people with developmental disabilities has drastically changed. In the early 20th century, people with disabilities were viewed as a burden. Their effects on society were often paired with criminals and they were known as defects in society. Many people thought that the disabled people could be eliminated with proper breeding among individuals. There were many offensive words used to describe individuals with disabilities. 

    Throughout the 1900's up until around the 1970's, people with disabilities were automatically institutionalized. Although the severity of the disabilities ranged, all disabled people were held together, separate from the rest of society. The conditions of these institutions were inhumane. Pennhurst State School and Hospital was one of the many institutions of this time. This institution was very overcrowded and had very little staff to regulate the facility. The conditions of this institution, like many others, were harsh. Children were forced to share cribs with five or six others. There was no space in the facility, the overall hygiene of the facility was poor, and individuals in the facility had no structure to their day. This Institution was later shut down due to the harsh conditions. 

    Society's views of the disabled slowly started to change with the help of president John F. Kennedy. Overtime, laws were changed to ban big institutions and people started to become better educated on individuals with disabilities. 

    Previously, I had no idea how awful it was for people with disabilities. They were lacking almost all of their civil rights. The treatment of the disabled people shocked me. I could never imagine what it would be like to live in this time as a disabled person. I think a lot of the blame goes to people being undereducated on what a disability consists of. 

    Having learned the history on how disabled people were treated, I feel more inspired to help continue the change of the view on disabled people. I believe that society has come a long way but there is still room for everyone to grow and become more educated on disabled people. I believe that everyone should try to be inclusive and not judge someone due to their abilities. The history of how disabled people were treated is horrible, but as time goes on, I have hopes that we, as a society, better the treatment, opinions, and accessibility of individuals with disabilities.