The Ancient Era (1500 B. C To 475 A. D)

History of Dis/Ability
Summary:
The Ancient Era (1500 B.C to 475 A.D):
During the ancient times, a person who was physically different, such as individuals who had disabilities, were considered inferior.Little information was known about the causes of disabilities and there was no accommodations for people who had disabilities during this time. Children who had a disability were often killed or abandoned by their parents since they were considered burdens and people who had disabilities were often used as sources of entertainment, typically called “fools”. This type of thinking began to change after the teachings of Jesus, who showed compassion to people who had all different types of disabilities, thus leading to more humane treatment for these individuals.
The Independent Living Movement (1970’s): Independent living allows for individuals with disabilities to be less
Bank-Mikkelsen introduced the concept of normalization, which argued that people with intellectual disabilities should live as close to a normal life as possible. Normalization also included the concept of the developmental model, which stated that everyone has a capacity to learn and grown, regardless of their disability. However the developmental model had some negative consequences for education, since it encouraged educators to teach individuals with disabilities based on infant and early childhood curriculum. In the 1970’s the IQ range that defined an intellectual disability was lowered and the developmental stage was extended to 18. The section mentions how a categorical approach was used to label individuals with disabilities, however a change of federal definition changed to a functional approach, which focuses more on an individuals functional limits instead of just a label. In the 1990’s, moves were made towards inclusive education and people began to realize that individuals with disabilities were more capable than they originally thought.
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