Role of the Disabled in Today's Society

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As stated by C.Dave Hingsberg “For hundreds of years, western society regarded the mentally retarded as sad accidents of nature to be closeted behind walls of secrecy and silence. Thousands were forcibility sterilized in an attempt to erase the genetic stain of their misfortune. But scientists now know that barely 10%of mental retardation is passed on genetically” (Hingsberg, Dave C.2001). This section came directly from the video “Is Love Enough”. Throughout history, there was the belief that the disabled would produce offspring that would be burdensome to society. Policies were put into place that forced sterilization of 60,000 American citizens, some as young as ten years old (Reilly 1991). In the first half of the 20th century, proponents of the Eugenics movement influenced nearly thirty U.S. state legislatures to pass laws allowing the involuntary sterilization of people with developmental, mental, sensory and physical disabilities (Silver 2004). There are still some states today by which people with disabilities can be involuntary sterilized. Granted the world has come a long way, but it certainly can do more. In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to protect those with disabilities, yet parents with disabilities continue to face legal problems everywhere. The rights to marry and raise children have been recognized as fundamental right under the Constitution of the United States. While these rights apply to parents with intellectual disabilities, their parental rights can be terminated solely upon the determination that a parent has an intellectual disability. People needed to be educated, developed acceptance, and give support. Laws that have been put into place by organization like the ... ... middle of paper ... ...tive on early intervention with parents with physical or cognitive disabilities and their infants. Infants and Young Children 132: 9-20. Reilly P. 1991. The Surgical Solution: A History of Involuntary Sterilization in the United States, 2 1991. Silver M. 2004. Eugenics and Compulsary Sterilization Laws: Providing Redress for the Victims of a Shameful Era in United States History. Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 72(4): 862-892. Toms Barker L, Maralani V. 1997. Challenges and strategies of disabled parents: Findings from a national survey of parents with disabilities. Through the Looking Glass, Berkeley, CA. Technical Report, NIDRR Research and Training Center on Families of Adults with Disabilities Grant No. H133B30076. Powell, Robyn, 2012 Retrieved from Why Parents with Disabilities Are Losing Custody of their Kids By Bonnie Rochman Nov. 27, 2012 http//healthland.time.com

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