Encyclopaedic Survey of Handicapped (PDF)

Until the second half of the 20th century, it was rare to find the simple recognition that, apart from their specific impairment, disabled people have the same abilities, needs and interests as the mainstream population. For many of the disabled, the greatest handicap has been the image society has long held of them as a "breed apart," who were often pitied, ignored, or even placed in institutions that offered mere custodial care. This discrimination has continued to exist in many important areas. Some employers are reluctant to hire or promote the disabled; some landlords refuse to rent them; and some courts are slow to grant them their basic rights, including custody of their children. Efforts by disabled people to establish legal rights mark a sharp contrast with traditional U.S. public policy. Before the 1970s, most legislation dealing with problems of the "handicapped" (an outmoded term), such as social security or public-assistance entitlements, provided limited financial support or specific services. The change in the 1970s and '80s centered on the rights of disabled people to the same protection under law enjoyed by the rest of the population. New laws and court decisions embodying civil rights of disabled people have affected several areas of life. In education, federal law guarantees a free appropriate public education to all disabled children, regardless of the severity of their disability in the area of employment, state laws prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. In addition, the federal Rehabilitation Act (1973) require businesses that handle federal contracts to practice affirmative action in employing disabled people and to make "reasonable accommodation" to their disabilities. Another advance has been the placement of previously institutionalized persons with disabilities in supported community living arrangements that provide a living environment more similar to those of able-bodied people as well as access to local community resources.