The History of Service To, and Problems Facing, the Disabled

In my first report on disabilities and serving the disabled, I took the offensive on the state of disability services in the state of Florida and compared the situation there to other parts of the modern world. In my second report, which you could technically call the second half of a two-part report on disability services in some parts of the world, I shall look at the history of disabled persons in society as a whole, as well as the history and cause of the associated problems facing the disabled. In addition, I will explore why disabilities do not have to hold back individuals who otherwise have great abilities to function in society - and possibly make a difference for others in similar situations.

Historic anecdotes - and problems - concerning the disabled

For most of early human history, many types of disabilities - especially mental disorders - took the human-perceived form of either the "displeasure of the gods or as evidence of demoniac possession" with the exception of only a very few human orders. Also during this period, the responses to such social ills tended to be exorcisms, punishments, and - in exceptionally nasty cases - even total outright banishment from the disabled person's social order. In fact, it was not until the founding of Greek civilization that the first thoughts on how to assist and integrate disabled persons into society echoed from the works of such medical experts of that time as the legendary Hippocrates, the so-called father of medicine that laid the initial groundwork for modern medicine. Eventually, the first treatment centers for the disabled, for example the primitive mental asylum, began to appear during the early Middle Ages; however, disabled persons increasingly began to be separated from the rest of society by the 17th century (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006).

Fast forward to the 1800s-1900s, however, and you will notice resurgence in "medical and scientific interest in psychiatric theory and practice," as well as in the treatment of disabled persons in general. For example, the German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin introduced a mental disorder "classification system [which] served as the basis for all subsequent ones, and the cardinal distinction he made between schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis still stands" to this day.
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006).

Where service and provisions delinquency enters the picture

However, some parts of the world still carry a hesitation to assist the disabled - most likely because of past treatment of such persons. In modern times, some parts of the world - even right here in the United States - fail to provide adequate funding to assist disabled persons with the services they need.
Recall from my first report that the state of Florida is an example of just such a circumstance. In one case, Florida state officials cut funding following revelations of a surplus of over $60 million for assisting the disabled - money better kept in the pipeline and actually used to help disabled persons live better lives. (Orlando Sentinel, 2005) Now can you tell me why Florida state officials cut funding? Specifically speaking, state officials should be spending to assist the disabled, and unfortunately, in Florida, they are not. Evidently, the state bureaucracy is putting its needs before those who are disabled.
Another prime cause of trouble for disability services can occur just by trying to apply for the services in the first place. For example, findings obtained from the interviews of families with disabled children in the United Kingdom indicated, among other things, a number of such discrepancies. These include procedures for receiving assistance often taking too much time and had too many complications to be effective; the existence of very tight schedules that took too much of a toll on families just for testing and therapy sessions; and a wide variety of factors generally tends to degrade the overall experience. Social organization also tends to be an issue when compared to the disabilities of individuals themselves; in other words, "the individual is being disabled, not by their impairment, but by the failure of society to take account of and organize around [the] difference" in the individual's condition (or differences of such, depending on the case). (Disability & Society, 2001)

Sometimes, even family matters enter the picture - and sometimes this can make a bad situation much worse. Consider the recent Terri Shiavo case, for example. On one end, we have a severely brain-injured woman who relies on a feeding tube and her ex-husband who has come to realize that she may already be brain-dead. On the other end, of course, we have the woman's parents who believe their daughter is still alive in this regard and who insist they can care for her in her present state. We all saw what happened next - a bitter dispute broke out between the two sides for years; Florida Gov. Jeb Bush passed a law providing for the return of Shiavo's feeding tube to its position after its removal, which the courts soon struck down; and even the Catholic Church took a side in the matter. In addition, if that is not bad enough, all of this happened under the watch of the entire nation.

That is not to say the Schiavo case controversy is the fault of anyone involved - as it is not so - however, the whole matter certainly put a human face on Florida's disability services problem as far as I am concerned. In fact, for disabled Americans everywhere, "seeing the final images of Terri Schiavo was like looking at a terrifying picture of themselves - undervalued and at the mercy of others." Worse still, watching the whole ordeal "looked as though Schiavo was 'put to death for the crime of being disabled,'" according to William G. Stothers, deputy director of the Center for an Accessible Society. Stothers also notes that the ordeal makes it look like "'it is a generally held belief that in society at large the view is better dead than disabled.'" (Washington Post, 2005)

Historic attempts to manage disability services

So how has society approached the task of assisting the disabled? Not the way anyone would hope, unfortunately - in fact, for much of history this meant outright isolation, whether through lock and key - or outright banishment - as explained earlier in this report. However, medical assistance is now part of the nom de jour of disability services. Pharmaceuticals, assistive technologies and other advances in modern medicine can help the disabled to live close to normal lives.

Political attempts to provide for the ease of access to common, everyday tasks to the disabled also hold a part in providing for the well-being of those who would otherwise be limited by their physical and/or mental disorders. A prime example is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which U.S. President George Bush signed "into law on July 26, 1990. The act provided civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities and guaranteed them equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications" (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006). However, some portions of the ADA would prove difficult to constitutionally enforce.

Conclusion

Providing services to the disabled currently tends to be an issue fraught with complexity, funding issues, and other problems that make it hard to help those with debilitating conditions that they could do without, but are unfortunately unable to live without facing on a daily basis. Whether these conditions are physical or mental in nature does not matter - these people often do not reap the benefits of the meaning of the self-evident truths set forth by America's Founding Fathers, namely that "all men are created equal." (Declaration of Independence, 1776) I believe, however, that the world can do better toward the disabled, and that it is time to set aside political differences and complexities and actually do something about the world's disabled population so that they, too, can live in harmony with the rest of humankind. After all, it is the only fair thing to do.