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People with Disabilities: Fighting for Equality
By, Mandy
Ratliff, Undergraduate Student,
College of Health and Human Performance,
University of Florida, Gainesville,
FL
Throughout history, people with disabilities
have been treated differently by society
at large, because of their disability.
The more easily identifiable or visible
the disability is, the quicker a stigma
is assigned to the person. The general
public has continually expected people
with disabilities to be defined only
by their lack of ability, and never
considers them people with many capabilities.
Although civilizations have, over time,
progressed to a more acceptable attitude
toward people with disabilities, they
are still not seen as equals by the
non-disabled. The social perceptions
concerning people with disabilities
have experienced several
trends throughout history; originating
with abuse and entertainment during
the ancient Greek culture, then moving
toward pity and separation with the
rise of Christianity, and finally resulting
in a rehabilitative view within the
last century.
Beginning in ancient Greek society,
all people who were considered "abnormal,"
whether due to mental illness, mental
retardation, or physical deformities,
were largely treated the same. The ancient
Greek culture placed a great value on
the ideal human form
(3). This is easily manifested
in their statues depicting only well-proportioned,
strong, and muscular male physiques.
Any deviation from this bodily ideal
was open to criticism and a basis for
differentiated treatment. Because of
this widely accepted ideal, people with
disabilities, mental or physical, were
seen as unattractive or ugly (2).
This discrimination began even at birth.
Around the middle of the fifth century
BC due to overpopulation, it became
required by law to quickly kill a child
at birth if it showed physical deformity
(3). After
birth, the child would be examined,
and if the child were born with obvious
physical deformities, it was appropriate
to kill it after confirming its deformity
with five neighbors. After confirmation,
the child could be left in the forest
or tossed over a cliff. If a child was
under the age of three and showed signs
of a deformity or disability, it was
socially acceptable to kill the child
(3). This
voluntary execution released the parents
of the burden and societal stress of
raising a child with a disability, and
prevented the child from receiving the
scrutiny it would have endured throughout
its life. By the first century AD, the
execution of newborns with deformities
was no longer required by Greek law,
but was still considered a socially
acceptable option (3).
Those Greeks with disabilities who
were able to survive their childhood
were routinely exploited for entertainment
purposes. This is exemplified in the
following passage by the Greek scholar
and commentator, Seneca. "Look
on the blind wandering about the streets
leaning on their sticks and those with
crushed feet, and still again look on
those with broken limbs. This one is
without arms, that one has had his shoulders
pulled down out of shape in order that
his grotesqueries
may excite laughter" (2).
It was amusing in the Greek culture
for the able-bodied to watch people
with disabilities struggle through daily
life activities.
This idea of seeing people with disabilities
as a source of entertainment and ridicule
continued through the ancient Greek
culture and Middle Ages, extending well
into the nineteenth century. During
the reign of Elizabeth I, Great Britain
developed an illustrious interest in
what they labeled raree shows (2).
These shows were very similar to the
"freak
shows" and circuses that occurred
during the nineteenth century. The non-disabled
would pay to observe exhibitions of
people with disabilities. These people
had disabilities that ranged from mental
illness to developmental disabilities.
The more evident and extreme the disability
was the more attention it attracted.
Many people with disabilities used in
these shows had some form of microcephaly
(1). Microcephaly
is now a known neurological disorder
that is indicated by an abnormally small
head due to inadequate brain growth
(4). By
shaving the person's head, their abnormally
small head was easily exploited.
The people being displayed in these
"shows" were often given stage
names, and extravagant stories were
invented of their capture and discovery
to satisfy the public's curiosity, further
exploiting their disability. People
of color with disabilities or deformities
were frequently labeled the "Wildman"
or the "Missing Link" in these
shows (2).
These barbaric stage names clearly indicated
that the people labeled with them were
seen more as animals than they were
human. By this time in history, society
had concluded that a great separation
between humans and animals was based
on the ability of speech (2).
Humans were given the ability of speech
while animals were not. Those who lacked
this ability, such as the deaf or mute,
were considered more animalistic than
human and were exploited as such.
In the late nineteenth century, with
the development of modern medicine,
social perceptions changed again toward
people with disabilities (2).
Modern medicine began proving that their
disability was a legitimate medical
condition. This disproved the previous
tales of the barbaric and animalistic
origins created by the show owners,
and society lost interest in the shows.
Because of modern medicine, these people
were no longer seen as "freaks"
but as people with medical conditions.
Due to this new found information, they
were released from the shows in which
they had previously been exploited.
With the rise of Christianity during
the first three centuries, society began
viewing people with disabilities in
a more sympathetic way. People with
disabilities were seen less as animals,
and more as members of society to be
cared for (1).
Jesus, the basis of Christianity, welcomed
the lame, blind, and the sick, altering
society's beliefs toward people with
disabilities (1).
It then became a morally respectable
act in the Christian religion to take
pity on people with disabilities. This
pity was typically exhibited by donations
and politeness to those with disabilities.
The closest relative of the person with
the disability was expected to provide
the daily care for them (1).
People with disabilities were seen as
helpless beings, incapable of leading
independent lives. They were completely
dependent on their family's care because
they were not being educated on how
to live in society with their disability.
Only under close supervision were people
with disabilities admitted to a common
life in society (1).
In this era, people with disabilities
were incapacitated not by their disability,
but by the lack of understanding society
had towards them.
The societal view, that people with
disabilities should be addressed with
pity and charity, continues even today.
Understanding that our current society
has been shaped by both the ancient
Greek and European cultures, as well
as the Christian religion, it is easy
to understand why there are still so
many similarities between them. The
current society has recognized many
barbaric traditions held in both of
these cultures and has eliminated them
from its own culture. Unfortunately
this is not completely the case when
considering today's social perceptions
of people with disabilities.
Identifying people as "paraplegics"
instead of "people with paraplegia"
is a clear representation of the negative
attitudes towards these people. Today's
society is continuing the offensive
tradition of defining a person only
by their disability. Identifying them
as people with a disability shows that
they are people first. By using this
terminology their disability becomes
a characteristic that they have, much
like their hair or eye color (2).
This makes the disability less incapacitating
and more of a trait of that specific
person. Use of the terms non-disabled
or able-bodied is also preferable to
the term "normal" when comparing
groups of people. Use of the word normal
makes the unconscious comparison of
abnormal, thus stigmatizing those individuals
with disabilities (2).
Today's society is also continuing
the insulting tradition of using people
with disabilities as a form of entertainment.
While it is no longer considered politically
correct to openly mock someone because
of a disability, it still continues
and is excused as humor. In fact, there
are several comedians with acts solely
comprised of jokes regarding persons
with disabilities (5).
This is no better than the freak shows
that occurred over the centuries. In
both cases, people with disabilities
are being exploited for their disabilities
and used as entertainment.
In some aspects today's society is
much more advanced than its parent cultures
when considering people with disabilities.
Within the current culture, it was been
realized that people with disabilities
can and should be rehabilitated. Not
only does this allow people with disabilities
more independence, but it eliminates
the "burden" thought to have
been brought on by people with disabilities.
Through innovative rehabilitation methods,
people with disabilities are being empowered,
and are further viewed as equal to those
who do not have disabilities. They are
becoming active and contributing members
of society, no longer being viewed as
a burden to it.
Another change in today's society is
represented in the view that people
with disabilities are a liability. There
have been countless advances in modern
medicine since its invention. One of
the most popular areas of study currently
is that of neonatal research (6).
This research has allowed the remarkable
capability of determining a child's
health before birth. This research has
enabled parents to know whether or not
their child is at risk or has a birth
defect before the child is born. It
has been shown that out of every 100
pregnancies, three or four babies will
be born with some form of birth defect
(7). Somewhere
between 50 to 70 percent of mothers
who find out their child has a birth
defect abort the child before birth
(7). That
leaves an incredible 30 to 50 percent
of mothers who know their child will
have a birth defect and have the child
anyway. This is much different than
Greek culture where the child with a
disability was killed after the discovery
of its disability. Today, the parents
are capable of knowing if their child
will have a disability, and are choosing
to accept them, regardless.
Social perceptions are changing concerning
people with disabilities. This is displayed
through increased research, Special
Olympic and Paralympic development,
and the implementation of laws protecting
the rights of people with disabilities.
Society has acknowledged that people
with disabilities are members of society
with different needs, and are making
appropriate adaptations. More money
and interest is being used to further
research in the field of disabilities,
allowing society to better understand
these disabilities. This understanding
then leads to better rehabilitation
techniques, encouraging people with
disabilities to display their capabilities
rather than their disability. Today's
society has come a long way in its perception
of people with disabilities. It is recognizing
that fairness is not giving everyone
the same treatment. Fairness is giving
each individual what they need. Understanding
this concept has ultimately allowed
society to develop a more considerate
and equal opinion of those with disabilities.
References
(1) Stiker, Henri-Jacques. (2002). A
History of Disability (pp.24-130) .
The United States of America. The University
of Michigan Press.
(2) Covey, Herbert C. PH.D. (1998).
Social Perceptions of People with Disabilities
in History. Springfield, IL. Charles
C Thomas.
(3) Garland, Robert. (1995). The Eye
of the Beholder: Deformity and Disability
in the Graeco-Roman World. Ithaca, N.Y.
Cornell University Press.
(4) MedicineNet.com. April 11, 2008.
http://www.medicinenet.com/microcephaly/article.htm
(5) The Guardian. June 21, 2006. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/jun/21/disability.socialcare
(6) Stokowski, L. The Neonatal Research
Network. Advances in Neonatal Care.
Volume 4, Issue 3 , Page 125.
(7) Pregnant Questions. November 29,
2007. http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A38858
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