History of Disabilities - Guest Speaker

Overall, I thought Dr. Keisling's presentation was very enlightening. I liked how he began with explaining that reviewing the history of disabilities is important for us to be able to give our clients hope for their future. When we looked back to the early 20th century, it was shocking to see how the public referred to those with a disability (i.e. a burden, feebleminded, delinquent). The most shocking part though, was hearing how the institutions worked. It is so hard for me to fathom the terrible treatment that those who were institutionalized received, and that this was just a very short time ago.

I now have a new appreciation for how the times have changed over the years. It's very interesting to learn about the acts that made these very changes of how the world views/accepts disability. I love that we now advocate for those with disabilities and work to "label jars not people." I am very proud of how we as a society have worked to be more inclusive and to normalize disability. But of course I always think we can do better. I think Dr. Keisling did a great job, and I am so glad we got to learn about this history. I will strive to always advocate for my clients and give them the emotional and physical support they need to achieve their goals!