"The public must learn that the blind man is neither genius nor a freak nor an idiot. He has a mind that can be educated, a hand which can be trained, ambitions which it is right for him to strive to realise, and it is the duty of the public to help him make the best of himself so that he can win light through work.” –Helen Keller
Congratulations to the Class of 1904!
Helen Keller is arguably one of the most famous members of the Persons with Disabilities community. According to her book (1903), Helen Keller became the first deafblind person to ever attend college and then earn a Bachelor of Arts degree on June 28, 1904. She graduated from Radcliffe College, and then went on to write a book about her life. Despite the fact that this book was published over a century ago, Helen Keller remains an inspirational figure to all, especially those with disabilities. Through her accomplishments, she proved that just because someone is classified as “disabled” does not mean that they are not capable.
Initially, Keller's goal was to simply attend college. Upon discussing the potential struggles she would face while attending college, she had quite the statement of inspiration. “Is it possible for the College to accommodate itself to these unprecedented conditions, so as to enable me to pursue my studies at Radcliffe? I realize that the obstacles in the way of my receiving a college education are very great- to others they may seem insurmountable; but, dear Sir, a true soldier does not acknowledge defeat before the battle” (Keller, 1903). She knew that college would be more difficult for her than most others, and yet she was determined to at least give it a chance. And, we know that her attempt was not futile as not only did she attend college, but she graduated as well.
Keller did not let anything or anyone stop her from pursuing her goals. Although Keller's book was an autobiography, John Avery Macy added in some commentary at the end of the book before it's publishing. He states, “her life has been a series of attempts to do whatever other people do, and to do it as well. Her success has been complete, for in trying to be like other people she has come most fully to be herself. Her unwillingness to be beaten has developed her courage. Where another can go, she can go” (Keller, 1903). Ultimately, Keller’s graduation from college as well as her countless other life accomplishments had an extremely positive impact on the disabled community of her time, as well as those like her in the future. Her actions and self-determination had an extremely positive effect on her group’s overall determination as she proved that just because disabled people may seem different does not mean that they are incapable of the same things that able bodied or minded people are capable of.
Whatever Kills Me Only Makes My Community Stronger...
Although the Holocaust is most remembered for the persecution of Jews, many other minority groups were persecuted by the Nazis during World War II. A heavily targeted group was the Persons with Disabilities. “Like Jews in Germany, people deemed handicapped also experienced the open Nazi aggression of 1938-1939. Hitler and other proponents of so-called racial purification would have to wait for the cover provided by war to implement murder on a mass scale, but by 1939 they felt confident enough to take steps in that direction.” (Bergen, 2009). Although the persecution of children is most heart breaking, it is important to remember that anyone deemed “unfit” was vulnerable. The Nazi goal was to exterminate all people with disabilities. This included all people with any form of disability, be it mental or physical, no matter what their age.
The killing of handicapped children was first deemed acceptable when a man by the name of Knauer wrote to Hitler about the “creature” his wife had given birth to and how he wished to have it killed as he could not bare the shame on his family. Hitler reacted promptly to this request as he felt the need to take advantage of this opportunity to kill those deemed “unworthy of living.” After much consideration, Hitler informed the doctors involved in this case that they could kill the baby with no legal consequences. As a result of this case, Hitler then authorized the two doctors involved, Brandt and Bouhler that they could deal with similar cases in the same manner. The Knauer case was just the beginning of what we now call Sterilization, as by 1939, the Reich Committee for Scientific Registration of Serious Hereditarily and Congenitally Based Illness required all medical professional to report the existence of any babies born with deformities. The reports of these births were then passed on to the “experienced” doctors, who then marked each case with a plus sign or a minus sign, indicated whether the child should be kept alive or murdered (Bergen, 2009).
Sure, it is frightening to think that although Hitler was the one who gave doctors permission to kill children with disabilities, but we must also remember that doctors were the ones to physically kill the children and they were willing to do so, despite the consequences. “Brandt, Bouhler, and their committee were not confident that most of the German people would support the killings of children with deformities, so they shrouded the process in secrecy. Still they had no trouble finding enough personnel to participate in these early stages of the program” (Bergen, 2009). These doctors knew that they probably would not have much support in committing these crimes and yet they went along with them anyways.
“The program to kill deformed children served Nazi planners as a kind of trial balloon, sent up to test reactions. The responses they perceived and the cooperation they received from the relevant professions indicated that it was possible to go even further in attacks on people considered handicapped” (Bergen, 2009). It is frightening to consider that Nazis got away with killing handicapped people, simply based on their physical and/or mental shortcomings. This Nazi plan was a trial that ultimately proved that the sterilization of Persons with Disabilities, or any minority group for that matter, would not be tolerated. The Nazis were not successful in completely their initial goal of total extermination, however, that is not to say that their actions were not mortifying.
Obviously, the sterilization had an immediate negative effect on the Persons with Disabilities population as they were murdered based on their physical capabilities. However, in hindsight, it seems as though this event in history ultimately had a positive effect, as the handicapped community was able to obtain a sense of unity and bring attention to their cause. For instance, “Post-WWII Hollywood found the “Disabled Hero” an eminently serviceable character. As the cycle of “returning vet” films began to show signs of decay by the end of the 1940s, filmmakers altered the concept by creating a handful of similarly sympathetic films that featured civilians “felled” by disabilities only to triumph over them” (Fuller, 1990). As a result of the persecution faced during World War II, Persons with Disabilities are not honored and respected for their ability to triumph in the face of adversity. Instead of being hidden, ignored, and persecuted, Persons with Disabilities are honored for their insistence and ability to function in society.
Don't Mess With Me, the President has My Back!
The passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was a victorious event for the Persons with Disabilities community, as it essentially prohibited discrimination of any kind based on disability. By passing this law, George W. Bush outlawed all discrimination, including “outright intentional exclusion, the discriminatory effects of architectural, transportation, and communication barriers, overprotective rules and policies, failure to make modifications to existing facilities and practices, exclusionary qualification standards and criteria, segregation, and relegation to lesser services, programs, activities, benefits, jobs, or other opportunities.” (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990).
The implementation of this law was important because it established all Persons with Disabilities as equals under the law and prohibited anyone from discrimination against this minority group under any circumstance, for any reason. Although people like Helen Keller gained societies’ respect through her actions, as did events such as Sterilization during the Holocaust, the passing of this law ensured that all people, no matter what their disability, will be treated equally under the law. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 secured protection from those who are unable to sympathize with those with disabilities and provided this group with an opportunity to normalize their lives as much as possible. This law did not create the prefect circumstances for Persons with Disabilities, as Aaron Spector explained to me in our interview, but it did greatly improve these circumstances. Spector explained to me that many wheelchair bound college students, for example, are still detoured by Indiana University's campus as they find the campus to be too hilly. Being that this campus is hundreds of years old, there is really nothing that can be done about this problem. However, this law does insure that the university will accommodate these students in any way that it can to help them deal with this obstacle. Finally, this law completed its goals of normalizing people with disabilities in society as it has provided a forum for those labled as “disabled” to exceed the expectations set for them by society, and like Helen Keller and so many others, achieve goals that no one expected them to achieve.
For further information, follow the link listed below to an informative YouTube video which explains exactly what the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires of all businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjvNYmUdjs
Works Cited:
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. U.S. Code Chapter 126. Section 12111-12112.
Bergen, D. L. (2009). War & genocide: a concise history of the holocaust. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.
Fuller, K.& Loukides, P. (1990). Beyond the stars; studies in american popular film. Stock Characters In American Popular Film ed. Vol. 1. Bowling State Green University Popular.
Keller, H., & Macy, J. (1903). The story of my life. New York: Grosset and Dunlap.
Spector, Aaron. "Students with Disabilities." Personal interview. 28 Oct. 2009.
YouTube Video: Health Guru. (October 16, 2007). Retrieved December 2, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjvNYmUdjs
Picture of Helen Keller found at:
http://www.afb.org/ead/eadmain.asp
Picture of Student with adaptive technology found at:
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/08/29/nicole2_wideweb__470x400,0.jpg
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