1860s
Rise of institutions
As demand for services grew quickly, the goal of educating students for life in the community was largely abandoned. Institutions soon became overcrowded, and students became inmates, receiving custodial care.
1866
Samuel Gridley Howe
When a large institution was opened in Batavia, New York in 1866, social reformer and educator Samuel Gridley Howe warned that we had lost our commitment to training and education.
“Beware how you needlessly sever any of those ties of family, of friendship, of neighborhood, during the period of their strongest growth, lest you make a homeless man, a wanderer and a stranger. Especially beware how you cause him to neglect forming early relations and affection with those whose sympathy and friendship will be most important to him during life. . . .”
1860s
Shifting attitudes
Attitudes toward people with intellectual and developmental disabilities shifted from hope and optimism to fear and suspicion. Rather than provide education and job training, and protecting vulnerable students from the dangers in society, institutions became places to protect society from those considered deviant. People with developmental disabilities became scapegoats.
1867
The ugly laws
Beginning in 1867 and continuing for more than a century, many cities in the U.S. passed “ugly laws,” making it illegal for persons with “unsightly or disfiguring” disabilities to appear in public. These laws targeted poor and disabled people. Punishment includes fines and incarceration.
Photo: Courtesy of Welcome Library
1870s
Social Darwinism
In writing on evolution, Charles Darwin noted that organisms best adjusted to their environment are the most successful in surviving and reproducing. This idea became known as “survival of the fittest.” Francis Galton, the founder of eugenics, and Herbert Spencer applied this idea to society, suggesting that the theories governing the evolution of biological species by natural selection also govern the affairs of society and social evolution.
1882
The Immigration Act of 1882
The Act established categories of foreigners deemed “undesirable” for entry. This prohibited the entry of “any convict, lunatic, idiot, or any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge.”