1864- Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind signed off by Abraham Lincoln. It was the first college made for disabled people.
Sir Francis Galton
1883- Eugenics Coined by Sir Francis Galton, this led to the stopping of disabled people to move to the U.S. and also stopped them from marrying or even having children.
1890-1920- Disabled rights activists push for states to have compensation. By 1920 there were 43 states with such laws.
Robert Graves
1917- The Great War's Disabled Veterans After being caught in an explosion and diagnosed with shell-shock as a result of combat in the British Army in World War I, Wilfred Owen, 24, arrives at Craiglockhart Hospital near Edinburgh, Scotland. There he meets the poet and soldier Siegfried Sassoon, who later introduces him to Robert Graves. Literary works from these three men, often touching on the subject of men disabled in battle, from the literary historical record for all the countries involved in "The Great War."
1927: Iron Lung To Combat Polio In 1927 Philip Drinker and Louis Shaw develop the iron lung, a chamber that provides artificial respiration for polio patients being treated for respiratory muscle paralysis.
Veterans Ignored during this time!
1930: Effect of The Great Depression: (Disabled American Veterans, DAV, finding service challenging. Government ignoring the requests of the disabled veterans during this time. Leaving veterans alone, to work hard to secure and fundraise, the wellbeing of the disabled after the war, when people only wished that the war to be just put behind.)
1931: Disabled American Veterans foundation is born: (With the first board Directors Herman H. Weimer, Millard W. Rice, Crab Corbly, William Tate and Paul M. Millikin. DAV foundation are the people of the nations harmed soldiers and their families. It is the service and protection of the Disabled American Veterans. It started out when the disabled veterans of WWI were low and disadvantaged, and had very little government support.)
1932: Disability Militancy: (Disabled American Veterans (DAV) lost their jobs and money due to the time of the Great Depression. Due to the raise of unemployment, it created a type of tax problem for the government. This led to a crisis in which a $2.4 billion bonus bill that was to be given to the unemployed. Unemployed Veterans then hopped on a train to Washington to camp in front of the Capitol Building and refused to leave until to pass a bill. A bill that would give them their immediate payment of money of their bonus certificate. Their request was found to be denied, leaving the veterans threating national security for not having their way. DAV’s were ordered by security to be thrown out of the capital. At the time President Hoover simply watched out his window as U.S soldiers beat and burned DAV camps.
1933: Election of Franklin D. Roosevelt: (The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the ways of DAV and promised them to another Bonus March, but without military action. Roosevelt’s wife made peace with the Veterans and listened to their stories of hard time, and gave them her respect and praised them for they have done. Roosevelt allowed 25,000 veterans to work in the CCC, and accepted and welcomed them as normal human beings.)
1935: Signing of the Social Security Act President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, establishing a program of permanent assistance to adults with disabilities.
Upset Vets
1936: Adjusted Compensation Payment Act: (Also called Bonus Act. It was the grant of immediate payment to veterans of the American Military service of WWI. This act was started in earlier 1930’s, but was not passed until 1936 by president Roosevelt. Veterans were only awarded immediately if the amount they would receive was under $500, otherwise were given certificate that was to be like an insurance policy.)
Accessibility for All
1961- First Accessibility Standard Established (Before this, most public buildings were inaccessible to the disabled. The Accessibility Standard required that all buildings that ran on federal funds to be more accessible. Architects added wheelchair ramps, elevators, and automatic doors among many other things that made it easier for the handicapped to enter and use the building.)
Ed Roberts fighting for his and many others rights
1962- Ed Roberts and UC Berkeley (Ed Roberts was the first disabled student to be accepted into UC Berkeley. After contracting polio at the age of fourteen, Roberts became paralyzed and could not breathe on his own. When the university first discovered his disability, they denied his admission. So, he began fighting for his rights, which eventually led to the establishment of the Physically Disabled Students Program. Then, he opened up the Center for Independent Living, which helped people with disabilities live on their own.)
1964- Civil Rights Act is passed (“The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” (“Civil Rights Act” judiciary.senate.gov) This law promised the stated minority groups better, more equal rights. The disabled, however, was not included in this legislation. This led to the initiation of the Disability Movement.)
The Special Olympic Logo
1968- First Special Olympics is held (Eunice Kennedy Shriver began a summer camp in her own backyard for children with intellectual disabilities. She learned how well the children did in sports and saw potential in some of them. In 1968, the first International Special Olympics was held in Illinois. 1,000 people competed in track and field and swimming. In 1971, the Special Olympics became an official part of the games. (History Special Olympics specialolympics.org))
Finally Repealed!
1974- “Ugly Laws” are repealed (The “Ugly Laws” stated that people with unsightly disabilities were not allowed to be seen out in public. It also gave police officers the right to arrest people with observable disabilities. the last of these laws were repealed in Illinois.
Forced to Same School
1975- Education for Handicapped Children Act (EHCA) of 1975 is passed (Before this law, it was legal for public schools to deny the admission of children with disabilities. Instead, they were sent to special schools with children who had similar disabilities, and most were segregated from the rest of the community. This act secured disabled children the right to free, public education and even led to the creation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP), which focused on the needs of individual students. The Education for Handicapped Children Act was later changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990.
Unusable for disabled persons
1978- Activists protest against the inaccessibility of buses (Public transportation systems denied service to people with disabilities because of their inaccessibility. They were not wheelchair accessible, so activists began to protest against the negligence. Eventually, laws like the American With Disabilities Act of 1990 were passed that required public transportation vehicles to be made accessible to people with disabilities. This included the making of wheelchair ramps and automatic doors.)
Signing of the ADA
1990- The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) became a law, it gave civil rights protection for people with disabilities. The ADA was modeled after the Civil Rights Act and Section 504. This law made history by “sweeping disability rights legislation”. It not only required, but mandated that local, state, and federal governments and other programs be accessible, and that employers with more than 15 employees make accommodations for those with disabilities, and to not discriminate against those with disabilities. The act also mandated that access be made for public transportation and communication for those with disabilities.
IDEA
1997- IDEA went under several changes, one being the expanded definition of disabled children. This meant that the IDEA Act would now include developmentally delayed children between the ages of three and nine years old. This required parents to attempt to resolve their disputes with schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEA), where they would work together, or rather, meet each other halfway on a certain subject involving their child. The changes made to the IDEA Act helped authorize grants for technology, disabled infants and toddlers, parent training, and professional development.