People with intellectual disabilities in the European semi-periphery: the case of Hungary

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of how the situation of people with intellectual disabilities transformed in Hungary during the twentieth century. Focusing on four main historical periods – pre-1945, state socialism between 1945 and 1989, the era of post-socialist transformation from 1990, and the current period following Hungary’s European Union membership in 2004 – it highlights the development of policy and practice, and their impact on people. The chapter mostly draws on historical sources, and the analysis of published data and research. In addition, three vignettes illustrate some ‘typical themes’ in the life trajectories of individuals with intellectual disabilities and the various forms of exclusion they face in contemporary Hungary. Although the country underwent major political and societal transformation in the twentieth century, the exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities – and their families – remained a constant feature across historical eras and political regimes.