History Of Disability Research Articles

Neurotrans

AbstractThis essay makes the case for neurotrans, which names the nexus of neurodivergence and trans as an epistemic source, a place from which neurotrans people think neurotrans thoughts to pursue a neurotrans world. Bringing the interwoven histories of mental disability and trans experience to bear on HIV/AIDS, the author argues that HIV has long served as a racialized weapon of the state to subjugate neurodivergent and gender variant people, especially those of color. The AIDS crisis, following the rise of antipsychotics in psychiatry, offered the medical industrial complex and the criminal punishment system a new opportunity to surveil and control disabled and trans populations. In addition to racializing gender variance and neurodivergence as threats to white supremacy, the state could now use HIV to justify incarcerating neurotrans people, although carceral spaces, such as hospitals, mental institutions, and prisons, are largely responsible for facilitating HIV transmission. Drawing on the life and activism of Black mad and trans activist Marsha P. Johnson, this essay illuminates the entanglement of mental disability and gender nonconformance and the necessity to center mental disability in trans studies, prioritize neurodivergent people in HIV prevention efforts, and advocate for the participation and leadership of neurotrans people in AIDS activism.

ODP380 Case of Skeletal Dysplasia in Post-Menarchal Pediatric Patient due to Novel Mutation of CSGALNACT1

Abstract We report the case of a 14 year old Yemenite female diagnosed with autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia secondary to a novel mutation of CSGALNACT1. She was initially referred to pediatric endocrine for poor linear growth at the age of 11 year 7 months. At that time, her height was well below the growth curve with z-score of -3.51. She had no reported history of intellectual disability. She had a normal MRI of the brain as well as normal growth factors, growth hormone stimulation test, thyroid function, IgA celiac antibodies, and a normal karyotype (46,XX). SHOX and microarray were negative. Her bone age was slightly delayed at 10-11 years with a chronological age of 11y8m. On initial evaluation by genetics, she was normocephalic with no dysmorphic facial features. She had proportionate limbs but was noted to have mild lumbar lordosis, increased joint laxity, and flattened feet with fifth toe clinodactyly. Notably there was a family history of consanguinity (parents are first cousins once removed). A skeletal dysplasia gene panel was not thought to be indicated, and she was referred back to endocrine. She was lost to follow up with endocrine but returned to clinic after 1 year when she was post-menarchal. She continued to have poor linear growth. Upon reevaluation, she was noted to additionally have a high-arched palate and shortened hallux. A panel for skeletal dysplasia was sent which detected a novel homozygous mutation of CSGALNACT1 with autosomal recessive inheritance. CSGALNACT1 encodes chondroitin sulfate N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase which is crucial for chondroitin sulfate chain biosynthesis and glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Congenital disorders of glycosylation are genetically inherited conditions due to abnormal glycan biosynthesis. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are vital in normal development of cartilage and the brain. We performed a PubMed search and saw four reported cases of individuals with mutations of CSGALNACT1. Clinically these individuals had relative macrocephaly, rhizomelia, hyperlordosis, joint laxity, and mild neurodevelopmental delay. Reported radiographic findings of affected individuals include advanced bone ages, flattened acetabular roofs, and vertebral anomalies. Our patient in contrast did not have overt dysmorphic features on exam nor reported intellectual disability to prompt a more immediate workup for skeletal dysplasia. There have been only a handful of cases with CSGALNACT1 mutations and skeletal dysplasia. These individuals more typically have findings of dysmorphia on exam including macrocephaly, lordosis, and joint laxity. Our patient lacked these typical features that are more normally associated with skeletal dysplasia yet was revealed to have a novel mutation of CSGALNACT1. Based on her initial genetic evaluation, her clinical findings were subtle and did not indicate a workup for skeletal dysplasia. Her case however shows that even in the absence of dysmorphic features, skeletal dysplasia should be considered in individuals with severe short stature. Presentation: No date and time listed

Whiteness and Ability: Discourses in Disability History Curriculum Legislation

This Policy Discourse Analysis (PDA) explores 19 state legislative documents focused on the teaching of disability history in K-12 schools. Framed through critical perspectives on constructions of disability and race, alongside discourse theory, we iteratively analyzed these legislative documents to understand (a) how disability and disability history are constructed (particularly in relation to whiteness); and (b) the stated purpose of the legislation and who is meant to benefit materially as a result of the laws. We find the legislation upholds dominant notions of whiteness and ability as part of school curriculum, while simultaneously constructing disability history as in the past and disability justice as already achieved, centering the learning and awareness of white, nondisabled students. We offer discussion and implications for research and practice surrounding policy implementation of teaching disability history.

Does sickness absence history affect work participation after vocational labour market training?

Abstract Background Active labour market programmes, such as vocational training, have become widely adopted measures to increase job seekers’ employment opportunities, but evidence of their effectiveness in later employment is mixed. Individuals who enter training differ greatly in their socioeconomic background, health, and labour market history, which can affect the effectiveness of these programmes. There is still uncertainty, for example, on how vocational labour market training works for individuals with prior health problems. Methods We use nationally representative Finnish register data on 88,283 individuals aged 25-59 who participated in vocational labour market training in 2008-2013, 23,715 of whom had sickness absence lasting at least 10 weekdays (including Saturday) three years prior to the training and 64,568 of whom did not. To adjust for the differences in sociodemographic and work-related factors between these groups, we will conduct propensity score matching. We will analyze work participation three years before and after the training among those with sickness absence and those without using a difference-in-difference analysis. Results Our preliminary results show that before training the work participation rate was similar in those with sickness absence history (58.5 %) and those without (58.1 %). After training, those with a sickness absence history had slightly lower work participation than those without (54.6% versus 59.6 %). The differences in work participation between these groups increased slightly over time after training. Conclusions Vocational labour market training does not necessarily work equally well for everyone in terms of enhancing employment, and job seekers with work disability history should be offered either extra support or another type of unemployment service. However, these are our pre-matching results, and they cannot be causally interpreted. Next, we will conduct the propensity score matching and difference-in-difference analysis. Key messages • Having a sickness absence history prior to vocational labour market training is associated with lower work participation after training compared to participants without a sickness absence history. • The main advantage of the study is the use of a quasi-experimental study design to test the effectiveness of vocational training, using rich nationally representative register data with long follow-up.

Knowledge and Practices of Child Eye Healthcare Among Parents in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia.

The majority of causes of childhood blindness are preventable and treatable.There are an estimated 1.4 million blind children worldwide, with roughly three-quarters of them living in developing countries. In most low-income countries, school-age children account for 20%-30% of the total population. To evaluate parents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pediatric eye medical services in Saudi Arabia's Aseer region. A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all parents in the Aseer region. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by the study investigators. The questionnaire included parents' sociodemographic data and a family history of blindness or visual disability. Parents' awareness regarding pediatric eye care was assessed using relevant items. The parents' practices and attitudes regarding eye care were also assessed within the questionnaire. The study included 899 parents who replied to the online questionnaire in its entirety. Some 54% of the responding parents were aged 30-50 years, and 51.2% were males. Of the parents, 46.2% had a university-level education, and 48.5% accompanied their children for eye examinations. About 65% of the parents knew about clinics for eye examinations, and 63.3% of them knew that blind children could learn. In total, more than one-third of the parents were aware of pediatric eye care. The study found that parents were aware of pediatric eye health and sought eye care for their children. More effort should be put forth through planned awareness programs to educate parents and assist them in overcoming the fears and barriers that keep them from seeking eye care for their children.

About the Contributors

Blu Buchanan is a university fellow in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at University of North Carolina Asheville. Their academic writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the journals GLQ: A Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies and PUBLIC: A Journal of Imagining America as well as in edited volume chapters in Black Feminist Sociology: Perspectives and Praxis and Unsafe Words: Queering Consent in the #MeToo Era.Ryan Lee Cartwright is associate professor of American studies at the University of California, Davis. Cartwright's research focuses on disability, gender, and sexuality on the social and spatial margins. Cartwright's first book, Peculiar Places: A Queer Crip History of White Rural Nonconformity (2021), maps racialized queer and disability histories of white social nonconformity across the rural United States, throughout the twentieth century, spanning genres from popular science to documentary photography to horror film. Cartwright's second book will examine how chronic illness came to be understood as a gendered, racialized “social burden” in the early to mid-twentieth-century United States.Juno Jill Richards is assistant professor of English and affiliated faculty in women, gender, and sexuality studies at Yale University. They are the author of The Fury Archives: Female Citizenship, Human Rights, and the International Avant-Gardes (2020) and a coauthor of The Ferrante Letters: An Experiment in Collective Criticism (2020).Tanya L. Saunders is an associate professor in language, literature, and culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Saunders is a sociologist interested in how the African diaspora throughout the Americas uses art as a tool for social change via decolonizing affect. They are also the director of the film project titled “Afro Feminismos em Cuba,” which is currently streamed on YouTube. They have published and lectured extensively throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They are currently writing a book about Black Brazilian artivism and politics of liberation as a spring 2022 Mark Claster Mamolen Fellow at Harvard University.Marisa Solomon is assistant professor of women's, gender, and sexuality studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. Her work focuses on how Black improvisation with waste's form and meaning upends environmental paradigms. She has published on the materiality of waste and anti-Black histories of urban planning and gentrification in the Journal of International Labor and Working-Class History. She is the codirector of the Black Atlantic Ecologies project at Columbia University's Center for the Study of Social Difference, where she is affiliated with the Earth Institute.Jennifer Tyburczy is associate professor of feminist studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her first book, Sex Museums: The Politics and Performance of Display, won the 2017 Lambda Literary Award for Best Book in LGBTQ Studies. Her scholarship can also be found in Women and Performance, Radical History Review, QED, Signs, Feminist Formations, Text and Performance Quarterly, Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies, and the anthology Queer Nightlife. Tyburczy is currently completing her second monograph, “Queer Traffic: Sex and the Performance of Free Trade.”

Beholding Disability in Renaissance England. By Allison P. Hobgood

Nearly a decade ago, Allison P. Hobgood co-edited the field-defining Recovering Disability in Early Modern England (2013) with David Houston Wood. It has taken the better part of that decade for early modern disability studies to begin to define itself fully, culminating in an exciting proliferation of publications in just the last few years. Beholding Disability in Renaissance England is among that cohort. In many ways, Hobgood’s monograph testifies to how the study of disability in early modernity has taken shape since she and Wood rallied scholars to form what they called “ethical staring encounters” with disability histories and representations (Recovering Disability, 2). In this new volume, she models this “staring differently” as an account of how the field has emerged, effortlessly weaving recent scholarship focused on disability in the Renaissance with theories and concepts foundational to the broader Disability Studies milieu. Beholding Disability also probes into the future, and suggests a vital turn of sorts toward “disability gain,” the book’s core and driving principle that people with disabilities “have both intrinsic and extrinsic worth” (1). Ultimately, Hobgood succeeds by mining poetry and drama of the English Renaissance, tracing disability gain in some of the most unlikely places.

Lead in Breast Milk of Nursing Mothers Working in Agricultural Farms

Aim: To detect lead in breast milk of mothers working in agricultural farms adjacent to Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Study design: Descriptive study Methods: This study was conducted in the Physiology and cell biology department of, University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore after obtaining consent from ethical review board of UHS, Lahore. Total 91 lactating female farm workers were selected for this study who had been working in the farm for one year in last three years. Five to six ml of breast milk was obtained from each lady. Samples underwent the process of dry digestion at 500°C for 4 hours. White ash obtained was mixed with deionized solution and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy was used to detect the lead levels in milk samples of nursing mothers Results: Out of 91 samples, lead levels were detected in 42 samples (46.15%). The mean (mean±SD) values of milk lead (n=42) were 781.49±1034.33µg/l. Family history of intellectual disability was significantly associated with milk concentrations of lead (p = 0.046). Conclusion: Present study concludes that the level of milk lead is found to be considerably higher in nursing mothers working in agricultural farms as compared with the levels reported by others from different countries. Key words: Inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, lead, breast milk, graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry technique

A “Stretchier” Kind of Witnessing

The article compiles the events marking the precarity of disabled peoples’ lives during the Second World War in Germany through an examination of the transition of Nazi psychiatric killing centers into memorials during the long twentieth century. As Judith Butler points out in Frames of War: When is Life Grievable?, recognizing the conditions of vulnerability calls us to a responsibility to alter abuse, suffering, and violence; yet it may also be true that “the apprehension of precariousness leads to a heightening of violence, [as] an insight into the physical vulnerability of some set of others […] and incites the desire to destroy them” (2). Such is the case with the medical mass murder of 300,000+ psychiatric patients in Nazi Germany as this preliminary medical mass murder made possible the post-1941 Holocaust genocide of 5.4 million Jewish people in death camp gas chambers. Thus, the article attempts to answer some critical questions by using Nazi medical mass murder as its historical foundation: How does one witness a violent mass tragedy when no witnesses survived? What meaning can be derived from the memorialization of disability history in our own contemporary moment? What do these public acts of recognition mean to disabled people as a group and/or disability scholars as part of the preservation of disability history? Why do these medical mass killings that pre-date and lead to the Holocaust still sit primarily unrecognized and forgotten? Finally, what do today’s memorialization practices tell us about contemporary attitudes toward disability as this largely unaffiliated subpopulation lives in the aftermath of this murderous history? When and how do disabled lives become grievable? How might we devise an alternative model to Holocaust studies’ pivotal reliance on direct witnesses that are not available in the Aktion T4 psychiatric killings?

Students as Advocates for the Integration of Disability Curricula in Medical Education.

To the Editor: People with disabilities (PWD) constitute the United States’ largest minority at approximately 12%–30% of the population. 1 PWD are recognized as important consumers of health care, but also as a health disparity demographic experiencing significant barriers. 1 Despite this, only a fraction of medical schools report curricula on disability, and research demonstrates strong bias among physicians. 2,3 Given the current lack of requirements or guidelines on disability training for physicians from governing bodies in medicine, we believe that trainees should advocate for disability inclusion and representation in medical education. As medical students working toward change at our institution, we recommend the following actionable steps: Engage with the local disability community to gain an understanding of the social determinants of health for PWD, as well as identify programs and resources that improve their autonomy and quality of life. At our institution, we collaborated with disability activists and faculty to develop and teach 4 classes on disability issues in health care for preclinical students. Establish a group for students with disabilities and their allies to engender solidarity and recognize disability as an identity deserving of respect and appreciation. Our group stays active both locally and nationally through service, outreach, and political advocacy. Advocate for recruitment of patient instructors with disabilities to provide formal exposure to PWD and dismantle bias. Inclusion of PWD as teachers educates students on the expertise they have about their disabilities and lives. We have pushed for inclusion of PWD in our training on diversity, cultural sensitivity, and clinical skills. Understanding disability history and perspectives will better prepare future physicians to rectify and prevent health inequities experienced by PWD. Trainees as agents of change have the potential to transform medical education to support the needs of PWD in their communities and society at large. Acknowledgments: The authors thank Christopher Lunsford, MD, for his mentorship.

State of the Field: Disability History

AbstractHistorical studies of bodily and cognitive difference have flourished in the past decade. This article surveys recent work in disability history to provide a sense of the state of the field today. Concentrating on work published in English, the article outlines three main pillars of the field: its political impetus; its commitment to a sociocultural approach to disability, and its insistence that disability constitutes a powerful category of historical analysis. Following this, the article discusses the sources and methods used by disability historians, as well as some of the ethical issues their work raises. Major themes and areas of strength in the field are also identified. The article concludes by suggesting how disability history might develop in the future and encourages disability historians to push beyond a Cartesian separation of body and mind when considering human difference.

Effect of Transfer Energy Capacitive and Resistive Therapy on Shoulder Pain, Disability, and Range of Motion in Patients With Adhesive Capsulitis: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveWe describe a protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of transfer energy capacitive and resistive (TECAR) therapy on shoulder passive range of motion, shoulder pain, and disability index in patients with adhesive capsulitis. MethodsThis study will be a double-blinded randomized clinical trial with a 1-month follow-up. For the purpose of this research, 30 patients with a 3-month history of shoulder pain and disability diagnosed as adhesive capsulitis will be selected and then randomized into 2 groups, including conventional physiotherapy consisting of electrophysical modalities and therapeutic exercises, which will be given to the control group. In the intervention group, after conventional physiotherapy, 10 minutes of TECAR therapy in resistive mode will be applied on both the anterior and inferior aspects of the shoulder joint. Outcome measures will be related to shoulder passive range of abduction, flexion, and external rotation that will be measured using a digital inclinometer, as well as shoulder pain and disability index that will be assessed by the validated questionnaire. Assessment will be done at baseline, 1 day after the intervention, and by passing 1 month. ResultsThe statistical analysis will describe within-group and between-group comparisons; the findings will be illustrated in tables and charts. ConclusionGiven the reason that the effectiveness of TECAR therapy has not been widely evaluated in adhesive capsulitis, the findings of this pilot study would provide baseline information on the effectiveness and complications of this treatment method and possibly propose a more appropriate protocol for patients with adhesive capsulitis.

Pride and Privilege? New Approaches to War Disability in the Twentieth Century

War disability occupies a prominent space within the small but rapidly blossoming field of disability history. The experience of maiming in war can contribute to a specific form of identity construction amongst disabled veterans, who have often been viewed separately from other disability groups. For wounded men returning home from war, it was often psychologically of the utmost importance to be proud of their service to their homeland, or in the case of civil wars, of fighting for a political conviction. Lifelong physical impairment could even intensify this feeling, as the act of self-sacrifice, perceived as heroic, was inscribed on one's body as a permanent mark, a ‘badge of honour’. Often, a sense of pride amongst disabled veterans has corresponded with the privilege of having a powerful political lobby, sometimes resulting in welfare measures tailored to the needs of disabled veterans. The contributions to this issue seek to explore the complex social positioning of those who – often coming to terms with their own private struggles with rehabilitation and feelings of emasculation – may not have felt privileged, while simultaneously occupying a clearly favourable position in comparison to other disability groups. Thus, through the framing of ‘pride’ and ‘privilege’, the contributions to this ‘History in Focus’ feature will aim to re-evaluate the marginalising or stigmatising nature of war disability, and to explore the complex and multifaceted positioning of disabled veterans in a world where no individual is limited to the rigid confines of a single identity and social space.

A-49 Sideline Concussion Assessment Tool symptoms predict poorer mental health outcomes in college athletes

Abstract Purpose: Assessment of emotional functioning is essential in sports-related concussion (SRC) management. This study investigated the prediction of mental health outcomes from the SCAT-3 Symptom Scale. Methods: Canadian university athletes who compete in contact sports participated in a large-scale study (Active Rehabilitation). A total of 235 participants (males = 67%) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Quality of Life Scale (QOLS), and Sideline Concussion Assessment Tool, 3rd edition (SCAT). Step-wise regression analysis using demographic variables (gender, age, history of Learning Disability, history of ADHD, diagnosis of psychiatric condition) and psychological symptoms from the SCAT were used as predictors for the BSI (Depression and Anxiety) and QOLS (Depression and Anxiety). Results: Regression analysis revealed female gender, previous psychiatric diagnosis and Nervousness (SCAT) significantly predicted higher scores on the Depression subscales of BSI (R2 = 0.21, F1,231 = 20.3, p < 0.001) and Quality of Life (R2 = 0.21, F1,231 = 18.0, p < 0.001). Female gender, previous psychiatric diagnosis, Nervousness and Irritability predicted higher scores on both the Anxiety subscales of the BSI (R2 = 0.23, F1,230 = 16.9, p < 0.001) and Quality of Life (R2 = 0.26, F1,230 = 20.2, p < 0.001). Contrary to other findings, history of concussion was not significantly predictive of higher Depression and/or Anxiety scores (although there was a trend between number of concussions and higher symptom report). Conclusions: SCAT symptoms may capture heightened emotional symptom report with more robust scales measuring emotional functioning. In contrast, concussion history did not predict emotional symptoms, a finding contrary to published literature.

A-08 Differences in Long-term Stability of Baseline ImPACT Scores in High School Football Players

Abstract Purpose: To explore the long-term stability of ImPACT baseline composite scores at a one-year interval across multiple age groups within a sample of high school football players. Methods: A total of 660 high school football players completed two ImPACT baseline assessments approximately 1 year apart (average days between = 337.8, SD = 68.0). Subjects were separated into three groups based on age at first baseline: Age 14: n = 249; Age 15: n = 246; Age 16: n = 165. Subjects reporting concussion history and/or history of Learning Disability or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at either timepoint were excluded. Results: Repeated measures t-tests for subjects who completed initial baseline at 14 indicated significant differences in Verbal Memory (t(248) = −2.99, p = 0.003; Cohen’s d = 19), Visual Memory (t(248) = −4.47, p < 0.001; d = 0.28), and Visual Motor Speed (t(248) = −8.18, p < 0.001; d = 0.52). Repeated measures t-tests for subjects who completed initial baseline at 15 indicated significant differences in Visual Memory (t(245) = −4.82, p < 0.001; d = 0.31) and Visual Motor Speed (t(245) = −7.89, p < 0.001; d = 0.50). Repeated measures t-tests for subjects who completed initial baseline at 16 indicated significant differences in Visual Motor Speed (t(164) = −5.32, p < 0.001; d = 0.41). Conclusions: Overall, ImPACT composite scores appear more variable for younger athletes with stability increasing as athletes develop. Clinicians should consider differing degrees of variability when planning pre-season baselines (i.e., whether to assess annually or bi-annually) as well as recency of baselines when interpreting change following injury.

A-19 Distress Predicts Poorer Cognitive Performance At Post-Injury In Concussed Athletes

Abstract Purpose: This study evaluated the consistency between athletes’ self-reported cognitive symptoms and cognitive test performance. Methods: The sample included 784 Canadian Football League athletes who underwent standardized cognitive testing with cognitive testing (ImPACT) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) at baseline. Over 2 consecutive seasons, 46 players were diagnosed with concussions following assessment with team physicians within 48 hours; 10 were eliminated due to missing data. Five cognitive symptoms (feeling slowed down, feeling in a fog, not feeling right, difficulties concentration, difficulties with memory) were used to create a composite score (Cog). The Cog index, the depression, anxiety, total index scores from the BSI, and the 5 ImPACT cognitive domains were correlated at baseline and post-injury. History of learning disabilities, ADHD, psychiatric diagnosis, and history of concussion were co-variates. Results: There were no significant correlations between Cog, depression, anxiety or total BSI scores and the ImPACT cognitive domains at baseline. At post injury there were no significant correlations between Cog or ImPACT index scores. In contrast, significant negative correlations were found between BSI Anxiety and verbal memory (r = 0.67, p < 0.01), visual memory (r = 0.68, p < 0.01), and visual-motor processing speed (r = 0.48, p < 0.05). In addition, there were significant negative correlations between the BSI total score and visual memory (r = 0.51, p < 0.05) and reaction time (r = 0.55, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Self-reported cognitive difficulties do not correlate with poorer cognitive outcomes in our sample of professional football players. However, distress at post-injury was significantly correlated to performance, suggesting psychological variables may play a role in cognitive functioning.

Emerging Research Opportunities in Disability History at the Heinz History Center

ABSTRACT The Heinz History Center was a founding member of the Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium. This partnership has resulted in the acquisition of foundational archival and artifact collections connected to local disability history. This article demonstrates how these recently acquired records reflect the pioneering role of Western Pennsylvania in the national struggle for disability rights. Given their recent acquisition and the general paucity of scholarship on Pennsylvania disability history, these records are largely untapped by scholars.

Records and Resources: Finding the History of Disability and Institutionalization at the Pennsylvania State Archives

ABSTRACT This article discusses archival materials currently held by the Pennsylvania State Archives that are useful for studying the history of disability and institutionalization. The vast majority of these resources contain administrative, patient, and related records from state hospitals and state centers that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has operated from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.

Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights

Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights

From Segregation to Disability Rights: Pennsylvania Disability History in Historical Context

ABSTRACT A brief conversational presentation that highlights aspects of Pennsylvania disability history. Emphasis is given to the institutional and ideological dimensions of the Commonwealth’s place in a national narrative of disability injustice and disability rights. Due to space constraints, less attention is given to the stories of individuals. The aim is to encourage further research.