Rights of Having Dis (Abilities) by Madison Seifer
To effectively orchestrate a meaningful civil rights movement, one has to not only capture the will of the targeted group, but also create a society in which the minds of the public possess knowledge and sympathy. “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”[1] The tumultuous path to acceptance of people with disabilities has included ups and downs, both which have helped to spread the message and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
The disability rights movement has existed since the late 1700’s and still exists today, but with a much stronger presence. As proven in history, all civil rights movements come with trials and tribulations. It has been evident that people have often been defined by their disabilities and because of this, disabilities have limited people in a new way other than physically or mentally. In the past, specifically the 20th century, the “disability question” had been dealt with by enforcing mandatory sterilization, castration, or by sending people with disabilities to mental institutions, etc.
In order for a movement to last and gain traction, it typically has to experience pivotal moments. For example, the disabilities rights movement endured the eugenic sterilization law, which presented people with disabilities to society as persons who had imperfect genes that would eventually ruin the human race if not treated. This led to people with disabilities starting to fight for their rights in public arenas in the 20th century, which helped bring awareness to the public about the issue. After all, the disability rights movement was seen as a “third wave of civil rights.”[2]
The disability rights movement exemplified a larger shift than just an overall increase in the rights that people with disabilities possessed. Over time, the movement morphed from a series of events based in social interactions to one that started to become involved in legal action. From around the late 1700’s to the mid 1800’s, the movement began to take shape and define its initial aims through recognition of the disabilities and awareness about the cruel treatment people received in mental institutions during that time. From then on, the movement introduced numerous activists and monumental moments that helped to propel it into a modern movement, one modeled after the popular civil rights and women’s rights movements of the mid 20th century.
Although the disability rights movement isn’t well acknowledged in society as other movements such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Women’s Suffrage Movement, it still has a rich history behind it. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by the other founding fathers. Among that group was Stephen Hopkins, a man with cerebral palsy. Although it doesn’t seem significant, it was a huge step for people with disabilities because it showed one of the first instances where a person overcame his disability for a larger cause/belief. He said, while signing, “my hands may tremble, my heart does not.”[3] Throughout the journey of obtaining equal rights for people with disabilities, a major component was that these brave people learned how to overcome their limitations and face their fears. It became such an inspirational concept because people with disabilities were often viewed negatively in society as incapable people who needed assistance with everything.
Although there were a few improvements in the 1700’s regarding disability rights, a majority of the early progress was in France. Their actions helped the United States movement take off in the 1810’s. In the past, circus-like shows displayed “freaks”, which were often people with disabilities exhibited as wonders to observe, as if they weren’t human. In 1784, after seeing a group of blind men being callously exhibited in a Paris sideshow, “father and apostle of the blind” Valentin Huay established the Institution for Blind Children.[4] It provided the blind with the right of education and freedom from the dastardly sideshows. However, institutions of this type didn’t exist in the United States until Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet established the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons in 1815.
After the lift off of the movement in the United States, things improved again when Louis Braille’s raised point alphabet was taught for the first time at the St. Louis School for the Blind in 1860 (30 years after its invention). Providing a completely effective and innovative way for the blind to read, it became a system that blind people still use today and has been incorporated into various aspects of American society (e.g. bathroom signs with braille). Even though this was a simple achievement to aid the blind with reading, it was a major milestone for not only the blind, but also for people with disabilities in their quest for equality.
In retrospect, the disability rights movement was a “back and forth game” where progress was made, but then events occurred that counteracted that progress. For example, activist Helen Keller was born in 1880 but then became mute, deaf, and blind after contracting an illness at 18 months old. Throughout her life, she worked to overcome her disabilities by striving to learn sign language, attending college, and even becoming the co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1920. However, in 1907, Indiana passed America’s first eugenic sterilization law, which paved the way for the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924. Under this law, any person determined to be imbeciles or “feeble—minded” would be subject to a mandatory sterilization in which they would not be able to pass down their “defective” genes. Carrie Buck from the Virginia Colony of Epileptics and Feeble Minded was determined to be the first test subject under this law, which concluded with the controversial Buck v. Bell Supreme Court case of 1927.[5] In result of this case, 30 other states proceeded to pass similar eugenic laws and over 65,000 people were sterilized without consent. Not only was this a major setback in the movement, but it proved that even in the early 20th century, people were still very close minded to the idea that people with disabilities were humans too, not just genes that one could weed out of the pool to create the “ideal Aryan race.” Eugenics was a cruelly powerful movement that reinforced the idea that people with disabilities were the “mutations/defects” of the human race and that they weren’t able to think for themselves or have opinions.
Throughout middle of the 20th century, the movement experienced a major change in the amount of exposure it received, with the spread of new developments in technology and laws passed. Medicaid, a program created by President Lyndon B. Johnson, covered medical costs for not only low-income families, but people with disabilities as well as of 1965.[6] Just three years later, the disability rights movement gained nationwide attention, as Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister of President John F. Kennedy) founded the Special Olympics partially in honor of her disabled sister Rosemary. Expanding on why this movement was so urgent to Eunice, Tim Shriver (Eunice’s son) stated at a conference held by President Bush, “I think if you look around the world, as my mother said, you know, there's still tremendous obstacles to inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities or any kind of disability…There's a tremendous sense often not stated that they don't count as much. The unstated message is they'll have to wait. There’s just too many other things that have to get done. The unstated message of even a wealthy country like ours is, well, there are other problems that are more important.”[7] Tying back to the decade old thought process of dehumanizing people with disabilities, Eunice saw this movement as an opportunity to begin changing the mindset of Americans. Through this, she proved that people with disabilities were capable of much more than society believed by having them compete in various sport events in the Special Olympics Games.
Along the path to total acceptance, there have been bumps in the road, like any other rights movement. From the 1860’s up until 1974, a series of laws existed in various states named appropriately, “The Ugly Laws.”[8] These laws, in general, declared that anyone walking in public with an “unsightly or disturbing” disability could be fined for up to $50 or incarcerated. Although the attitudes of the public had begun to change rapidly (in result of the Special Olympics) about people with disabilities, there was still a sizable amount of people who continued to discriminate against people with disabilities (mainly because of their ignoroance/lack of knowledge about disabilities). Furthermore, even though there were substantial improvements in the movement overall, there were still events such as these laws, that held the movement back from being able to fully launch forward.
The Disability Rights Movement became so successful over the years mainly because of all the activists that stepped up for the cause and advocated for their rights. However, a significant advancement in the movement was with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. In an overview, the ADA “prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental activities.”[9] Throughout the movement, numerous events had contributed to the passing of this act, including the 1935 WPA job protest, Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and the 1968 Architect Barriers Act. In a recent census, it was stated that 50 million workers in the US are currently covered by the ADA. Although a monumental event, it’s still ridiculous to think that just 25 years ago today, people with disabilities would be denied jobs/discriminated against based on physical/mental developments that were seen as limiters to their careers.
Although the nation as a whole has come far in terms of acceptance, the old mindset is still present in society today. For example, in an interview from late 2012 with San Francisco native Elizabeth Grigsby[10], she exposed her experiences inside a hospital and her challenges with having a disability. Since the beginning of her life, Elizabeth had faced doubt from others about her abilities, when her doctor said, “put her in an institution because she won’t be able to have a quote unquote normal life. If she does live, she’ll be a vegetable for the rest of her life.” After facing a medical emergency later in her life, she learned about having aspiration pneumonia and two hernias in addition to her existing cerebral palsy, so she was admitted into the hospital. She speaks about being in the ICU for several months, and not having had the ability to speak up for herself. “Nobody would listen to me about how you have to hold on to my legs, because my legs are very sensitive and if you pull on them a certain way without talking to me and letting me tell you you can really do some damage some bodily harm…They were like we do this everyday we know what we’re doing and I’m like please just slow down take it easy…when they went up to life me you heard this loud pop in my knee it’s like my knee went one way and the rest of my body spread over onto the gurney…I was in such excruciating pain that again I’m not a cryer usually but all I could do was cry.”[11] Although this interview was as recent as 2012, it’s mind-boggling that even at this time people in the medical field still ignored the voice of Elizabeth, mostly because she had cerebral palsy and they didn’t believe that people with disabilities could communicate properly. In result of their utter ignorance, she was injured further, not just physically but emotionally as well. As proven by Elizabeth Grigsby’s heart wrenching story, there are still people all over the nation that don’t take into consideration the fact that people with disabilities are humans like everyone else, not animals or creatures that can’t speak up for themselves. Although this is one of the main goals for the movement, ignorance still widely exists, and it’s our job as citizens and good-hearted people to join this fight for total equality for people with disabilities – in our laws and in our minds.
Although there have been many strides made to bring awareness to mental and physical disabilities, there is still work to be done. Through analyzing societal patterns, it’s shown that even though laws were passed to increase rights for people with disabilities, it doesn’t mean that people will automatically change their minds. Changing the beliefs of the general public is typically an uphill battle and process that takes patience and time. The seemingly only effective way to change their perspective is by taking a public stand. By looking at past events, we can learn for the future that by voicing our opinions and speaking up for the disabled population, we can ensure that we are not only heard by our community, but by the world. Through events like the Special Olympics bringing awareness about the capability of people with disabilities and the numerous programs created for the same cause, we can begin the road to creating a “utopian society” where everyone is seen as equals and there ceases to be judgment.
[1] Hawking, Stephen. "Stephen Hawking Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 26 July 2015. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/stephenhaw627080.html>.
[2] Reich, Alan. Quote.
[3] "Disability History Timeline." NCLD Youth. NCLD/Y. Web. 24 July 2015. <http://www.ncld-youth.info/index.php?id=61>.
[4] "Disability History Timeline." NCLD Youth. NCLD/Y. Web. 24 July 2015. <http://www.ncld-youth.info/index.php?id=61>.
[5] "EugenicsArchive." EugenicsArchive. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Web. 25 July 2015. <http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/static/themes/39.html>.
[6] Slaughter, Michael. Lecture. 28 July 2015.
[7] "Remembering Rosemary Kennedy." Woodruff, Judy. Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics. CNN. 14 Jan. 2005. Web. Transcript.
[8] Schweik, Susan M. The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public. New York City: New York UP, 2009. 443. Print.
[9] "Disability Resources." U.S. Department of Labor. Web. 28 July 2015. <http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/ada.htm>.
[10] Grigsby, Elizabeth. Personal interview. 1 Oct. 2012.
[11] Grigsby, Elizabeth. Personal interview. 1 Oct. 2012.
To effectively orchestrate a meaningful civil rights movement, one has to not only capture the will of the targeted group, but also create a society in which the minds of the public possess knowledge and sympathy. “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”[1] The tumultuous path to acceptance of people with disabilities has included ups and downs, both which have helped to spread the message and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
The disability rights movement has existed since the late 1700’s and still exists today, but with a much stronger presence. As proven in history, all civil rights movements come with trials and tribulations. It has been evident that people have often been defined by their disabilities and because of this, disabilities have limited people in a new way other than physically or mentally. In the past, specifically the 20th century, the “disability question” had been dealt with by enforcing mandatory sterilization, castration, or by sending people with disabilities to mental institutions, etc.
In order for a movement to last and gain traction, it typically has to experience pivotal moments. For example, the disabilities rights movement endured the eugenic sterilization law, which presented people with disabilities to society as persons who had imperfect genes that would eventually ruin the human race if not treated. This led to people with disabilities starting to fight for their rights in public arenas in the 20th century, which helped bring awareness to the public about the issue. After all, the disability rights movement was seen as a “third wave of civil rights.”[2]
The disability rights movement exemplified a larger shift than just an overall increase in the rights that people with disabilities possessed. Over time, the movement morphed from a series of events based in social interactions to one that started to become involved in legal action. From around the late 1700’s to the mid 1800’s, the movement began to take shape and define its initial aims through recognition of the disabilities and awareness about the cruel treatment people received in mental institutions during that time. From then on, the movement introduced numerous activists and monumental moments that helped to propel it into a modern movement, one modeled after the popular civil rights and women’s rights movements of the mid 20th century.
Although the disability rights movement isn’t well acknowledged in society as other movements such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Women’s Suffrage Movement, it still has a rich history behind it. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by the other founding fathers. Among that group was Stephen Hopkins, a man with cerebral palsy. Although it doesn’t seem significant, it was a huge step for people with disabilities because it showed one of the first instances where a person overcame his disability for a larger cause/belief. He said, while signing, “my hands may tremble, my heart does not.”[3] Throughout the journey of obtaining equal rights for people with disabilities, a major component was that these brave people learned how to overcome their limitations and face their fears. It became such an inspirational concept because people with disabilities were often viewed negatively in society as incapable people who needed assistance with everything.
Although there were a few improvements in the 1700’s regarding disability rights, a majority of the early progress was in France. Their actions helped the United States movement take off in the 1810’s. In the past, circus-like shows displayed “freaks”, which were often people with disabilities exhibited as wonders to observe, as if they weren’t human. In 1784, after seeing a group of blind men being callously exhibited in a Paris sideshow, “father and apostle of the blind” Valentin Huay established the Institution for Blind Children.[4] It provided the blind with the right of education and freedom from the dastardly sideshows. However, institutions of this type didn’t exist in the United States until Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet established the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons in 1815.
After the lift off of the movement in the United States, things improved again when Louis Braille’s raised point alphabet was taught for the first time at the St. Louis School for the Blind in 1860 (30 years after its invention). Providing a completely effective and innovative way for the blind to read, it became a system that blind people still use today and has been incorporated into various aspects of American society (e.g. bathroom signs with braille). Even though this was a simple achievement to aid the blind with reading, it was a major milestone for not only the blind, but also for people with disabilities in their quest for equality.
In retrospect, the disability rights movement was a “back and forth game” where progress was made, but then events occurred that counteracted that progress. For example, activist Helen Keller was born in 1880 but then became mute, deaf, and blind after contracting an illness at 18 months old. Throughout her life, she worked to overcome her disabilities by striving to learn sign language, attending college, and even becoming the co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1920. However, in 1907, Indiana passed America’s first eugenic sterilization law, which paved the way for the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924. Under this law, any person determined to be imbeciles or “feeble—minded” would be subject to a mandatory sterilization in which they would not be able to pass down their “defective” genes. Carrie Buck from the Virginia Colony of Epileptics and Feeble Minded was determined to be the first test subject under this law, which concluded with the controversial Buck v. Bell Supreme Court case of 1927.[5] In result of this case, 30 other states proceeded to pass similar eugenic laws and over 65,000 people were sterilized without consent. Not only was this a major setback in the movement, but it proved that even in the early 20th century, people were still very close minded to the idea that people with disabilities were humans too, not just genes that one could weed out of the pool to create the “ideal Aryan race.” Eugenics was a cruelly powerful movement that reinforced the idea that people with disabilities were the “mutations/defects” of the human race and that they weren’t able to think for themselves or have opinions.
Throughout middle of the 20th century, the movement experienced a major change in the amount of exposure it received, with the spread of new developments in technology and laws passed. Medicaid, a program created by President Lyndon B. Johnson, covered medical costs for not only low-income families, but people with disabilities as well as of 1965.[6] Just three years later, the disability rights movement gained nationwide attention, as Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister of President John F. Kennedy) founded the Special Olympics partially in honor of her disabled sister Rosemary. Expanding on why this movement was so urgent to Eunice, Tim Shriver (Eunice’s son) stated at a conference held by President Bush, “I think if you look around the world, as my mother said, you know, there's still tremendous obstacles to inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities or any kind of disability…There's a tremendous sense often not stated that they don't count as much. The unstated message is they'll have to wait. There’s just too many other things that have to get done. The unstated message of even a wealthy country like ours is, well, there are other problems that are more important.”[7] Tying back to the decade old thought process of dehumanizing people with disabilities, Eunice saw this movement as an opportunity to begin changing the mindset of Americans. Through this, she proved that people with disabilities were capable of much more than society believed by having them compete in various sport events in the Special Olympics Games.
Along the path to total acceptance, there have been bumps in the road, like any other rights movement. From the 1860’s up until 1974, a series of laws existed in various states named appropriately, “The Ugly Laws.”[8] These laws, in general, declared that anyone walking in public with an “unsightly or disturbing” disability could be fined for up to $50 or incarcerated. Although the attitudes of the public had begun to change rapidly (in result of the Special Olympics) about people with disabilities, there was still a sizable amount of people who continued to discriminate against people with disabilities (mainly because of their ignoroance/lack of knowledge about disabilities). Furthermore, even though there were substantial improvements in the movement overall, there were still events such as these laws, that held the movement back from being able to fully launch forward.
The Disability Rights Movement became so successful over the years mainly because of all the activists that stepped up for the cause and advocated for their rights. However, a significant advancement in the movement was with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. In an overview, the ADA “prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental activities.”[9] Throughout the movement, numerous events had contributed to the passing of this act, including the 1935 WPA job protest, Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and the 1968 Architect Barriers Act. In a recent census, it was stated that 50 million workers in the US are currently covered by the ADA. Although a monumental event, it’s still ridiculous to think that just 25 years ago today, people with disabilities would be denied jobs/discriminated against based on physical/mental developments that were seen as limiters to their careers.
Although the nation as a whole has come far in terms of acceptance, the old mindset is still present in society today. For example, in an interview from late 2012 with San Francisco native Elizabeth Grigsby[10], she exposed her experiences inside a hospital and her challenges with having a disability. Since the beginning of her life, Elizabeth had faced doubt from others about her abilities, when her doctor said, “put her in an institution because she won’t be able to have a quote unquote normal life. If she does live, she’ll be a vegetable for the rest of her life.” After facing a medical emergency later in her life, she learned about having aspiration pneumonia and two hernias in addition to her existing cerebral palsy, so she was admitted into the hospital. She speaks about being in the ICU for several months, and not having had the ability to speak up for herself. “Nobody would listen to me about how you have to hold on to my legs, because my legs are very sensitive and if you pull on them a certain way without talking to me and letting me tell you you can really do some damage some bodily harm…They were like we do this everyday we know what we’re doing and I’m like please just slow down take it easy…when they went up to life me you heard this loud pop in my knee it’s like my knee went one way and the rest of my body spread over onto the gurney…I was in such excruciating pain that again I’m not a cryer usually but all I could do was cry.”[11] Although this interview was as recent as 2012, it’s mind-boggling that even at this time people in the medical field still ignored the voice of Elizabeth, mostly because she had cerebral palsy and they didn’t believe that people with disabilities could communicate properly. In result of their utter ignorance, she was injured further, not just physically but emotionally as well. As proven by Elizabeth Grigsby’s heart wrenching story, there are still people all over the nation that don’t take into consideration the fact that people with disabilities are humans like everyone else, not animals or creatures that can’t speak up for themselves. Although this is one of the main goals for the movement, ignorance still widely exists, and it’s our job as citizens and good-hearted people to join this fight for total equality for people with disabilities – in our laws and in our minds.
Although there have been many strides made to bring awareness to mental and physical disabilities, there is still work to be done. Through analyzing societal patterns, it’s shown that even though laws were passed to increase rights for people with disabilities, it doesn’t mean that people will automatically change their minds. Changing the beliefs of the general public is typically an uphill battle and process that takes patience and time. The seemingly only effective way to change their perspective is by taking a public stand. By looking at past events, we can learn for the future that by voicing our opinions and speaking up for the disabled population, we can ensure that we are not only heard by our community, but by the world. Through events like the Special Olympics bringing awareness about the capability of people with disabilities and the numerous programs created for the same cause, we can begin the road to creating a “utopian society” where everyone is seen as equals and there ceases to be judgment.
[1] Hawking, Stephen. "Stephen Hawking Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 26 July 2015. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/stephenhaw627080.html>.
[2] Reich, Alan. Quote.
[3] "Disability History Timeline." NCLD Youth. NCLD/Y. Web. 24 July 2015. <http://www.ncld-youth.info/index.php?id=61>.
[4] "Disability History Timeline." NCLD Youth. NCLD/Y. Web. 24 July 2015. <http://www.ncld-youth.info/index.php?id=61>.
[5] "EugenicsArchive." EugenicsArchive. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Web. 25 July 2015. <http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/static/themes/39.html>.
[6] Slaughter, Michael. Lecture. 28 July 2015.
[7] "Remembering Rosemary Kennedy." Woodruff, Judy. Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics. CNN. 14 Jan. 2005. Web. Transcript.
[8] Schweik, Susan M. The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public. New York City: New York UP, 2009. 443. Print.
[9] "Disability Resources." U.S. Department of Labor. Web. 28 July 2015. <http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/ada.htm>.
[10] Grigsby, Elizabeth. Personal interview. 1 Oct. 2012.
[11] Grigsby, Elizabeth. Personal interview. 1 Oct. 2012.