A History of the Treatment of People with Disability

Historical Context of Disability Treatment

• Understanding history is paramount to grasping contemporary human rights development, particularly regarding inclusive education.

Early Historical Perspectives

• People with disabilities have historically faced significant hardships, exclusion, and marginalization.
  • Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle notably stated, "let there be a law that no disabled child shall live".
  • During the Middle Ages, disability was often met with fear, ignorance, and superstition.
  • Women who bore children with disabilities were frequently accused of witchcraft and faced execution.
  • State support for individuals with disabilities was largely non-existent at this time.
  • Outside of a few hospitals and mental institutions, many lived within their families and communities.

Shifts in Understanding Disability

• The 19th century marked a transformative period as philosophical and scientific thought evolved.
  • A shift occurred from superstitious beliefs to emerging scientific theories that began to explain disability.
  • Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and the concept of survival of the fittest laid foundational ideas for eugenics.
  • Eugenics was further developed by Darwin's nephew, Francis Galton.
• Eugenics cast people with disabilities as inferior and framed them as a moral and genetic threat to society.
  • This perspective was particularly detrimental to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Eugenics Movement and Its Consequences

• The eugenics ideology led to the adoption of intelligence testing aimed at identifying individuals deemed 'slow'.
  • Government policies were influenced to contain, segregate, and restrict reproduction among those labeled as undesirable, feeble-minded, or worthless.
  • Institutions were established to warehouse individuals with disabilities, encouraging parents to send their children to these facilities for their lifetime, purportedly for the country's good.
• In Australia, the eugenics movement gained momentum, particularly in Melbourne during the 1930s, involving influential figures:
  • CEO of the CSIRO
  • Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne
  • President of the Royal College of Physicians
  • Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria

Nazi Atrocities and the Impact of Eugenics

• Eugenics ideologies contributed to the horrific Nazi atrocities during WWII, specifically through the T4 program.
  • The T4 program was a state-sponsored involuntary euthanasia initiative targeting people with disabilities.
  • It is viewed as a precursor to the Holocaust, culminating in the death of approximately 300,000 individuals with disabilities by lethal injection and gassing across Germany and occupied territories.

Dehumanization and Institutionalization Post-War

• Despite the end of WWII, dehumanization of disabled individuals persisted, with mass institutionalization continuing into the 1960s and beyond.
  • Public awareness regarding the severe conditions within these institutions began to rise.
  • This awakening was facilitated by photographic evidence and television, notably through Burton Blatt's 1966 work "Christmas in Purgatory".
    • The photographic expose revealed distressing realities of state institutions in Eastern America:
    • Infants, ages one and two, were observed lying in cribs with no interaction or stimulation.
    • In one facility with over 1,000 infants, a poignant scene depicted a child calling for interaction, symbolizing the profound loneliness experienced by many.
  • The encounter with the living conditions was described as one of the "most especially frightening and depressing encounters" with humanity that the observers had ever experienced.