History of Disability

Most people are oblivious to the treatment of others who had disabilities in the past. I will admit, I was too until Dr. Keisling spoke to our class about the history of disability. I was aware that these people were treated unfairly, however certain aspects of the discussion seemed almost unreal, the main one being how disabled people were commonly compared to criminals. This shocked me. I was also in disbelief at first when we learned about the Kennedy family. Having a family with that high of a societal ranking with a problem of that magnitude just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. The last thing that hit home in this lecture is the people crawling up to the capitol. I myself am guilty of not noticing the accessibility of public places for other people. It did open my eyes, and I have been steadily noticing these landmarks. Overall, I am happy with how our society has grown to not be so harsh towards the disabled. However, like Dr. Keisling said, there is still segregation among us towards people with disability. In addition, this lecture did give me useful tips on how to interact with different disabled people in certain situations. Lastly, in order to keep improving as a society, we must notice the small things, make others aware, and act upon it. It is our duty.