Disability History Final Exam

Gassed

A large oil painting by John Singer Sargent, commissioned post-World War I by the British government to memorialize the medical services of war, depicting blinded British soldiers from mustard gas.

Nazi Eugenics Propaganda

A 1930 image titled 'Leben Nur Als Last' that reinforces the idea of disabled individuals as anonymous burdens, presenting Nazi ideology as a reasonable necessity.

Oil on Canvas

A painting by Otto Dix depicting three mutilated World War I veterans at a café, highlighting how war dehumanizes individuals into broken machines.

A Normansfield Patient

A portrait of Clementine F. 'Tillie' Eadie, indicating genetic or developmental disability, challenging beliefs about the visibility of disabled children in the 19th century.

The Madhouse

A depiction of the overcrowded and neglected conditions of early asylums, which were primarily prisons rather than healing places.

Adolph Hitler

Oversaw Aktion T4, a Nazi program to exterminate disabled people deemed 'unworthy of life.'

Alice of Battenberg

A deaf royal who sheltered Jewish families during WWII and had schizophrenia but was functional and compassionate.

Alice Cogwell

Deaf from illness at age 2.

Anne Cooper Hewitt

One of the richest women in America whose mother had her sterilized to increase inheritance.

Bertha Pappenheim

An early feminist and social reformer who documented mental illness under the pseudonym Anna O.

Bishop van Galen

A Catholic bishop who publicly opposed the Nazi euthanasia program.

Carrie Buck

Diagnosed as feeble-minded, she sued to prevent being sterilized and was a traumatic experience survivor.

Chang and Eng Bunker

Conjoined twins who were exhibited in freak shows and later married and had children.

Charles Byrne

Known as the 'Irish Giant,' whose body was displayed against his will, raising ethical issues about bodily autonomy.

Charles Darwin

Widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology, misused by eugenicists to justify discriminatory practices against disabled people.

Charles Davenport

An American eugenicist who pushed for sterilization laws targeting disabled individuals.

Charles Stratton

(Tom Thumb) Little Person, exhibited by P.T. Barnum, lived a public life that combined empowerment and exploitation.

Dorothea Dix

Advocated for humane treatment of people with mental illness, pushing for the creation of mental asylums.

Elizabeth Scott-Sanderson

A reformer associated with early institutional care and nursing for disabled individuals.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Founded the Special Olympics, promoting inclusion and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Francis Galton

Founder of eugenics.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Had polio and used a wheelchair; did not hide it; has a statue of him in a wheelchair.

Hans Asperger

Studied children with autism; his legacy is controversial due to alleged cooperation with Nazi ideology.

Harold Gillies

Reconstructed faces of injured WWI soldiers; considered the father of modern plastic surgery.

Jean-Martin Charcot

Studied hysteria and neurological conditions; mentor to Freud.

John Langdon-Down

Described the condition now known as Down syndrome.

Jonas Salk

Developed the polio vaccine.

Joseph Mengele

Nazi doctor who performed horrific experiments on disabled and marginalized individuals.

Joseph Merrick

Elephant Man; suffered from severe deformities and was both exploited and respected.

Julia Pastrana

"Baboon Lady"; a woman with hypertrichosis was exhibited in freak shows.

Karl Brandt

Nazi physician who led the euthanasia program targeting disabled people.

King Nebuchadnezzar

Biblical figure interpreted by some as having experienced a mental health crisis or disability.

Laurent Clerc

A deaf educator who co-founded the first American school for the deaf.

Louis Agassiz

A scientist whose racial theories were used to justify inequality, influencing early eugenic thoughts.

Lucy Gardener

Likely involved in early psychology or education related to disabilities; less documented.

Madison Grant

An American eugenicist who promoted racial hygiene; his ideas influenced Nazi policies.

Margaret Sanger

Birth control advocate who also supported eugenics in some contexts.

Millie and Christine McKoy

Conjoined twins were formerly enslaved and exhibited.

P.T. Barnum

Promoter of freak shows that exploited disabled individuals for public entertainment.

Peter Singer

Philosopher known for utilitarian views, including controversial opinions on infanticide and disability.

Rabbi Michael Aaronsohn

Provided moral and theological reflections on disability (less mainstream).

Rebecca Lee Crumper

First African American female physician.

Rondo Hatton

Acromegaly distorted the shape of Hatton's head, face, and extremities in a gradual but consistent process.

Rosemary Kennedy

Had intellectual disabilities and was lobotomized by her father, her story spurred later advocacy.

Sigmund Freud

Influenced early theories of mental illness and psychological disability.

Thomas Gallaudet

Co-founder of the first U.S. school for the deaf and foundational in American deaf education.

Thomas Malthus

An economist whose ideas about overpopulation.

Ambiguity

Uncertainty or lack of clarity, often about definitions of disability or normalcy.

Abortion

Termination of pregnancy; historically linked to debates over disability and eugenics.

Aktion T4

Nazi program that systematically murdered disabled people.

Aliens Act, 1905

UK law restricting immigration of 'undesirable' individuals, including the disabled.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

1990 U.S. law banning discrimination based on disability.

Amputation

Surgical removal of a limb, often due to injury or illness.

Anesthesia

Medicine used to block pain during procedures; crucial in surgical advancement.

Asylums

Institutions for people with mental illness or disabilities; often overcrowded and abusive.

Bedlam Hospital, London

Notorious psychiatric institution symbolizing chaotic and inhumane care.

Buck v Bell

1927 case upholding forced sterilization of Carrie Buck, a young woman labeled 'feeble-minded.'

Camphill Movement

Community-based care for people with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing dignity.

Carne Arm

Early prosthetic arm used by war veterans, symbolizing rehabilitation and technology.

Chemical warfare

Use of chemicals in war (e.g., WWI); caused severe injuries and disabilities.

Cyborg masculinity

Postwar idea of disabled men using prosthetics to reclaim masculinity.

Disabled Veterans of America

Advocacy group for U.S. military veterans with disabilities.

Doctor's Trial

Nuremberg trial of Nazi doctors for crimes including forced euthanasia.

Down Syndrome

Genetic condition causing developmental and physical differences.

Dwarfism

Condition of short stature, often due to genetic mutation.

Eugenics

Movement promoting controlled breeding to 'improve' the human race.

Feeble-mindedness

Outdated term for intellectual disability, often used to justify sterilization.

Freakshows

Public displays of disabled people for entertainment and profit.

"Gaze"

The act of observing others with power imbalance, such as the medical or freakshow gaze.

Gemüt

German term for emotional warmth or empathy; invoked in critiques of Nazi actions.

German Measles (Rubella)

A viral disease that can cause birth defects if contracted during pregnancy.

Hollywood / film

Media portrayals of disability, often through stereotypes or horror.

Holy fools

Religious figures with disabilities seen as spiritually gifted or pure.

Immigration Act, 1882

U.S. law restricting entry of people seen as mentally or physically unfit.

Industrialization and labor

Era that prioritized productivity, often marginalizing disabled workers.

IQ tests

Intelligence tests used to classify and often discriminate against disabled individuals.

L'Arche

Intentional communities where people with and without disabilities live together.

Langenhorn Asylum

German institution involved in Nazi-era euthanasia programs.

Nuremberg Laws

Nazi racial laws that excluded people with disabilities from society.

Martha's Vineyard

Community with high deaf population; widespread use of sign language normalized deafness.

Normansfield Training Institute

British institution for people with intellectual disabilities.

North Carolina School for the Colored Deaf and Blind

Segregated school under Jim Crow laws.

"Nothing About Us Without Us"

Slogan demanding disabled people be involved in decisions about their lives.

Opium

Narcotic used in medicine; associated with historical treatment of pain and addiction.

Physical restraint

Use of force to control disabled individuals in institutions.

Poliovirus

Virus that causes paralysis; major source of childhood disability before vaccines.

Rehabilitation Act

1973 U.S. law banning discrimination in federally funded programs.

Section 504

Key provision prohibiting disability discrimination in federal agencies and recipients.

Scientific racism

Use of pseudoscience to justify racial and ableist hierarchies.

Segregation

Separation of people by ability, often in schools, transportation, and institutions.

Shell Shock

Early term for PTSD in WWI veterans.

"Stab in the back" theory

Nazi myth blaming Germany's WWI defeat on internal enemies, including the disabled.

Sterilization

Preventing reproduction through surgery or chemicals, often without consent.

Syphilis and VD (Venereal Disease)

STDs that can lead to neurological and congenital disabilities.

Thalidomide

1950s drug that caused birth defects when taken during pregnancy.

The Public Charge

U.S. policy excluding immigrants likely to need public assistance, including disabled people.

The Red Cross

Humanitarian organization aiding war victims, including those with disabilities.

Tod Browning's Freaks

1932 film featuring disabled actors; controversial portrayal of disability.

Trans-orbital lobotomy

Brain surgery once used to treat mental illness; often misused.

Trench foot

WWI condition from prolonged exposure to wet, cold conditions, often causing disability.