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Disability History 101. From Social Outcasts to Institutions to Civil Rights, Self Determination, and Freedom!!! Ron Irvine. Developmental Disability Definition.
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Disability History 101 From Social Outcasts to Institutions to Civil Rights, Self Determination, and Freedom!!! Ron Irvine
Developmental Disability Definition Definition: “A developmental disability affects what your mind or body does. It occurs before age 22 and usually lasts a life time. You may need help with language and learning. You may also need help with moving around and taking care of yourself. Michigan's Mental Health Code has a formal definition - MCL (Michigan Compiled Laws) 330.1100a (21)” Refer here for the more technical definition: http://www.arcmi.org/new/dd.htm
Developmental Disability History 1600s & 1700s: “During this time, ‘idiot cages’ became common in town centers to ‘keep people with disabilities out of trouble.’ They also served as entertainment for townspeople.” But also during this time, awareness of people with disabilities began to grow. Prior to the idiot cages, they were mostly hidden away and unseen. Idiot Cage
Developmental Disability History Early 1800s: “Often people with disabilities were put into ‘poorhouses’ used to remove economic outcasts from society. Deviants were rejected from communities by ‘warning out’ or by ‘passing on’.” Warning out: Letting undesirables know that they are not welcome in this town. Passing on: Loading a person in a wagon and dumping them off in the next town. Poorhouse
Developmental Disability History 1846-1848: Dorthea Dix spent two years visiting jails, almshouses, poorhouses, and asylums across the United States. The appalling conditions were made into a speech that was presented to congress. Out of the best intentions, her work paved the way to the first public institutions. Dorthea Dix: a pioneer disability advocate
Developmental Disability History 1848-1895: The first asylum in Michigan was built in 1848 in Kalamazoo. Within 40 years, the state had built and opened four more: the Eastern Michigan Asylum at Pontiac, 1878; Traverse City in 1885; Ionia Asylum for the Criminally Insane in 1885, and the Upper Peninsula Hospital for the Insane in 1895. Michigan Asylum for the Insane (later re-named the Kalamazoo State Hospital)
Developmental Disability History 1850 – 1880 Make the Deviant Undeviant 1870 – 1890 Shelter the Deviant from Society 1880 – 1925 Protect Society from the Deviant 1925 – 1950 Invisibility and Abandonment Northern Michigan Asylum (later re-named the Traverse City State Hospital)
Movement to Close Institutions Two factors: Advocacy for Civil Rights A new emerging understanding of disabilty
Presidential Advocacy for Disabilities 1961: President John F. Kennedy launched the President's Panel on Mental Retardation and developed a "plan to combat mental retardation." 2003: Name changed to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities Every presidency since then has made significant gains in defending the civil rights of people with disabilities. See more here: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/pcpid/pcpid_history.html In the picture: President John F. Kennedy’s sister, Rosemary, top, Jean, bottom, and Robert Kennedy, right, are seen in this family photo made in 1938 at Bronxville, NY. Rosemary Kennedy lived most of her life in an institution after undergoing a lobotomy.
Presidential Advocacy for Disabilities 1961: President John F. Kennedy launched the President's Panel on Mental Retardation and developed a "plan to combat mental retardation." 1963: Hope Network was established to serve people with developmental disabilites Rosemary Kennedy was "a lifelong jewel to every member of our family," the statement said, adding that from her earliest years, "her mental retardation was a continuing inspiration to each of us, and a powerful source of our family's commitment to do all we can to help all persons with disabilities live full and productive lives."
Advocacy for the Rights of People with Disabilities 1854: Bill for the Benefit of the Indigent Insane (Dorthea Dix) was vetoed by President Pierce (Not a federal issue) 1946: National Mental Health Act. 1947 – 1980: The Parent’s Movement Improving conditions in institutions Creating community resources Education and employment opportunities Medical and other health services 1973 Rehabilitation Act: Affirmative action and nondiscrimination in employment (federal) Reasonable accommodation in schools and employment Accessibility of federal information and technology 1990: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) a civil rights law for disability President George H.W. Bush signs the ADA into law
Advocacy for the Rights of People with Disabilities 1975: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act 1990: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (reauthorized in 1997 & 2004) Before 1975: U.S. public schools educated only 1 out of 5 children with disabilities. States had laws that explicitly excluded children with certain types of disabilities from attending public school, including children who were blind, deaf, and children labeled "emotionally disturbed" or "mentally retarded." More than 1 million children in the U.S. had no access to the public school system. Many of these children lived at state institutions where they received limited or no educational or rehabilitation services. Disability Rights Movement
Advocacy for the Rights of People with Disabilities June 2, 2010 Hope Network DCS provides 2 of the last 3 residents of MPC with a home in the community. December 1, 2010: The closing of the last public institution in Michigan in Mount Pleasant. March 24, 2011: A statewide event in Lansing celebrating the closing of the last public institution in Michigan. Mount Pleasant State Hospital
Rosa’s Law US President Barack Obama hugs Rosa Marcellino, 9, after signing the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, October 8, 2010. Obama signed Rosa's Law, named after Marcellino, earlier in the week which will remove the terms 'mental retardation' and 'mentally retarded' from federal laws.
New Emerging Understanding AN ORDINARY LIFE A LIFE LIKE ANY OTHER Social Model Definition of Disability: The loss or limitation of opportunities for persons with physical, sensory or intellectual impairments to partake in the ordinary life or the community on an equal level with others is due to physical, structural and social barriers. Freedom to choose is a basic human right . FREEDOM!!! It is about “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” for all. Denial of freedom is a civil rights issue. ALL MEANS ALL Nothing about me, without me! INFORMED CHOICE REACHING FULL POTENTIAL INDEPENDENCE FULL INCLUSION INTER-DEPENDENCE
New Emerging Understanding IN EDUCATION: Free and appropriate education for all Individual education program Least restrictive environment A NEW ERA: It is about “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” for all. Freedom to choose is a basic human right . Denial of freedom is a civil rights issue. • IN THE COMMUNITY: • Community integration • Person centered planning • Self determination • Informed choice