Ableism: Disabled Americans In The 20th Century

Most people have a friend or at least know about someone who is disabled. The number of disabled individuals continues to rise along with the population. Disabled Americans have experienced hardship throughout history, and their effort led to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Disabled Americans have a long and painful history. Ableism was a prevalent state of mind up into the 20th century (Faville). Ableism was discrimination against disabled individuals (Faville). Because of this, the disabled were often passed up for jobs and were unable to provide for themselves (Faville). From the mid 1800’s to mid 1900’s, displaying disabled persons in freak shows was an accepted part of American life (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). The disabled were seen
In the 1800’s, persons with disabilities were considered as evil omens of witchcraft (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). An early policy in the Massachusetts Bay Colony was that stillborn children had to be examined for witchcraft (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). Eugenics was widespread and it said that mental and physical disabilities were responsible for poverty and crime (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). In 1830, almost every state had an Almshouse, which was an institution to house those who were unwanted or unable to contribute to society (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). By 1930, 28 states had laws of sterilizing individuals who were thought unfit by society (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). Sterilization, restricted immigration, restricted marriage, and institutionalization were methods of stopping what was thought as “less desirable genes” from being transmitted to the next generation (Burgdorf, Neuhaus, Smith). In the Buck v. Bell case of 1927, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. stated that sterilizing people is better for the world
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed unanimously by Congress in 1990 (Faville). The ADA is one of the most progressive pieces of federal civil rights legislation to ever be written (Faville). There are five main titles, or sections, that make up the ADA. Title I covers employment. It states that people with disabilities have access to the same employment options as those who are not disabled (ADA National Network). Title II covers the state and local governments. It prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals with qualification in all aspects of public entities (ADA National Network). An example of an entity is public transportation (ADA National Network). Title III covers public accommodations. It states that facilities such as hotels, restaurants, doctor’s offices, and movie theaters cannot discriminate against disabled individuals (ADA National Network). Title IV covers telecommunications. It states that telephone and internet companies must provide a nationwide system of interstate and intrastate telecommunication relay services, and warrants closed captioning services on federal public service announcements (ADA National Network). Title V covers miscellaneous provisions. It contains a list of certain conditions that are not considered disabilities (ADA National Network). The ADA states that employers with fifteen or more