Let's Reflect - The History of Disabilities

 On Tuesday we watched a documentary about Pennhurst State School and the treatment of the people with disabilities that lived within the institution called "Suffer the Little Children". This film was followed by a presentation about the treatment of people with disabilities, as well as the thoughts, associations, and stigmas that have evolved throughout our history surrounding people with disabilities. 

To me, the most meaningful aspect from the material presented was how far we have come in not only becoming more accepting of people with disabilities, but also becoming a more inclusive community for people with disabilities. Although I knew that our history of disabilities was somewhat rocky, I had no idea the amount of inhumane and immoral treatment that people with disabilities had to endure. The film that we watched was a huge eye opener for me on the horrendous treatment that people with even the most mild to severe disabilities had to experience. Though the film was tough to watch at times, it was also a reminder of how far we have come. The material during the presentation was also heavy material at times, however I was particularly drawn to the positive strides we have made to include and enhance the lives of people within our communities with disabilities.  

 I am glad the light was shed on a huge part of our history that I was unaware of; because of this, my view on how people with disabilities are treated now has completely changed. I now understand that in our history, people with disabilities were not shown basic human rights and decency, however we have come a long way in ensuring that people with disabilities are able to live the same meaningful life that all of us are allowed to live. I think it is important to note that although our history of disabilities has come such a long way, we still need to learn about the struggles that people with disabilities are still enduring and advocate on their behalf and with them to ensure that their quality of life and the opportunities they have are the same as everyone else in their communities.