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1800s
In the 1800s, people with disabilities were seen as feeble-minded, tragic, and pitiful. They were put into mental institutions and asylums to live out the remainder of their life. They were also put on display at exhibitions and circuses. Because of their disabilities, many of them were made to undergo sterilization. These actions were to keep them invisible and separate from the rest of society. -
World War I
This treatment of disabled people continued until World War I. After the War, veterans with disabilities from their service expected the US government to take care of them. -
Technology Advancement
Due to an advancement in technology in the 1930s, there was a rise in government assistance that helped people with disabilities become self-reliant and self-sufficient. -
FDR
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president with a disability. He was an advocate for all peoples with disabilities but still thought disabilities needed to be cured or fixed. -
World War II
World War II brought a new and much larger wave of disabled veterans. These veterans demanded that the government provide them with rehabilitation and vocational training. They made disabilities more of a visible issue in the United States -
Rehabilitation Act
In 1973, for the first time, rights of those with disabilities was protected by law. This act demanded equal opportunity, prohibited discrimination , and required public spaces to be accessible to people with disabilities. -
Education for All
In 1975, Education for All was passed to allow students with disabilities equal public education. It specified that all children had the right to an education and mandated the full inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream education classes unless satisfactory level of education could not be achieved due to the childs' disability. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
It insured the equal treatment and access of people with disabilities to employment opportunities and public accommodations. The ADA intended to prohibit the discrimination on the basis of disability, employment services rendered by state and local governments, place of public accommodation, transportation, and telecommunications services. -
IDEA
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: further elaborated on the inclusion of children with disabilities into regular classes but also focused on the rights of parents to be involved in the educational decisions affecting their children. It required an Individual Education Plan (IEP) designed with parental approval to meet educational needs of a child with a disability
