1954
Brown v. Board of Education
In “Brown v. Board of Education” the Supreme Court declared that “separate but equal” was unconstitutional, thereby making racial discrimination illegal. This decision influenced future legislation on the education rights of children with disabilities.
1958
Roland Johnson
At age 12, Roland Johnson was sent by his parents Pennhurst State School and Hospital outside Philadelphia, where he spent 13 tormented years enduring neglect, beatings, and sexual assault. Years later, he played a role in shutting down Pennhurst and became a leader in the Self-Advocacy Movement.
1959
Normalization
In 1959, a group of parents in Denmark sought better treatment for their children with developmental disabilities living in institutions. Niels Erik Bank-Mikkelsen, head of the Danish Service for the Mentally Retarded, drafted legislation that called for the right of people with disabilities to the same community-based existence as their peers without disabilities, including clothing, housing, education, work, and leisure. Bank-Mikkelsen is considered the father of the normalization principle.
1960
Social Security Disability Insurance
The U.S. Congress removes the provision limiting Social Security Disability Insurance benefits to workers over age 50, making SSDI available to younger workers with disabilities.
1961
The President’s Panel on Mental Retardation
President John F. Kennedy assembles the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation. Their goal is to “cure and prevent mental retardation.”
Under President Johnson, this became the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation. It’s now called the President Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
1962
Ed Roberts admitted to University of California, Berkeley.
Ed Roberts became the first student with a significant disability to be admitted to the University of California, Berkeley. Within 10 years, Ed and others would launch the Independent Living Movement
Ed Roberts quote
“We, who are considered the weakest, the most helpless people in our society, are the strongest, and will not tolerate segregation, will not tolerate a society which sees us as less than whole people.” – Ed Roberts
1963
Eunice Kennedy Shriver article
President John F. Kennedy had a sister, Rosemary, with intellectual disability. Another sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, wrote openly about their family in the Saturday Evening Post, a popular magazine, helping to reduce the public stigma of having a family member with a disability.
1963
The Developmental Disabilities Act
Signed by President Kennedy, the goal of the Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Assistance Act (DD Act) of 1963 was to address problems in state-run institutions for people with disabilities and create university programs to advance research and treatment. This goal evolved to address individualized supports and community services for people with IDD. It also led to the development of State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), Protection and Advocacy organizations in every state.
1965
Medicare is signed into law
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Medicare Act into law in 1965. Medicare provides federally funded health insurance for retirees and recipients of SSDI and Medicaid supports Americans who are poor and/or disabled.
1965
Senator Robert Kennedy tours Willowbrook
In 1965, Senator Robert Kennedy toured the Willowbrook State School in New York. Accompanied by a T.V. crew, he compared the conditions of the institution to that of a snake pit.
“… we have a situation that borders on a snake pit, and that the children live in filth, that many of our fellow citizens are suffering tremendously because of lack of attention, lack of imagination, lack of adequate manpower.”
In that same year, Senator Kennedy addressed a joint session of the New York legislature on the “dehumanizing conditions” of the Rome and Willowbrook institutions in New York.
1966
“Christmas in Purgatory”
Burton Blatt, a leader in special education and disability advocacy, and photographer Fred Kaplan publish Christmas in Purgatory, a photographic exposé of the horrible conditions in state institutions. Blatt sent 1,000 copies to legislators, professors, and advocacy groups.
Of the institutions, Blatt said, “There is a hell on earth, and in America there is a special inferno.”
1960s
Institution staff provide custodial care.
Institution staff provide custodial care with staff-to-resident ratios as high as 50 to 1. Unlike today’s direct support professionals who perform a complex array of individualized services in community settings, institution workers provide only the most basic caregiving services.
Institution staff provide custodial care.
Institution staff provide custodial care with staff-to-resident ratios as high as 50 to 1. Unlike today’s direct support professionals who perform a complex array of individualized services in community settings, institution workers provide only the most basic caregiving services.
1969
The normalization principle
Bengt Nirje of the Swedish Association for Retarded Children further expanded on the normalization principle outlined by Niels Erik Bank-Mikkelsen and translated it into English. A few years later, Wolf Wolfensberger would further develop and systematize the principle and use it to guide the development of community-based services.
Bengt Nirje quote
“The normalization principle means making available to all people with disabilities patterns of life and conditions of everyday living which are as close as possible to the regular circumstances and ways of life or society.” – Bengt Nirje
Changing
The President’s Committee on Mental Retardation publishes “Changing Patterns in Residential Services for the Mentally Retarded,” challenging our understanding of how we provide services to people with disabilities. Wolf Wolfensberger, one of the editors of this publication, later said, “This was the book that broke the back of the institutional services system.”
1971
The Center on Human Policy.
The Center on Human Policy at Syracuse University is founded by Burton Blatt in response to widespread abuse of and discrimination against people with disabilities in society.
1972
Dignity of risk
Influenced by Bengt Nirje’s work in Sweden, Robert Perske wrote about the evils of overprotection of vulnerable people. “Dignity of risk” means everyone, including those with disabilities, has the right to make decisions and take risks for personal growth and well-being.
James Meadours quote
“We can’t learn if we don’t make mistakes. We’re human. Everybody makes mistakes.” – James Meadours
1972
The first group homes in New York.
The Center on Human Policy opens the first group home for people with developmental disabilities in Onondaga County, NY.
1972
Centers for Independent Living
In 1972, the first Center for Independent Living was established in Berkeley, California, based on the principle that people with disabilities are entitled to the same civil rights, options, and control over life choices as people without disabilities. One of their first accomplishments was implementing a curb cut program, the first in the country. The creation of this center started a national movement by and for people with disabilities.
1972
Willowbrook
Reporter Geraldo Rivera visits Willowbrook State School in 1972 and reports on the deplorable conditions. His exposé “Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace” airs on national television. Willowbrook housed 5,200 people in deplorable conditions.
1972
Wolf Wolfensberger systematizes normalization.
Wolf Wolfensberger’s “The Principle of Normalization in Human Services” (1972) was a best-selling book that revolutionized community services. It was selected as the most influential work of the second half of the 20th Century in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Wolfensberger trained a generation of leaders in human services and helps create a roadmap for community living.
1970s
Enrollment in large institutions decreases
As enrollment in large institutions decreased services were gradually provided in the community. Some facilities held dozens of people, others just a few.
1970s
The title QMRP is created
The term Qualified Mental Retardation Professional (QMRP) was the term first used in federal standards developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s for qualified workers supporting people with developmental disabilities. Qualifications included a bachelor’s degree plus at least one year of experience working with people with IDD.
The social model of disability
Disability under the social model is defined as the interaction between people and society. It is a result of society’s failure to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities. In this model, people with disabilities are in control of their own lives and identify with others who have been oppressed.