History of Disability


            Dr. Kiesling’s presentation on the history of disability was very insightful. My main take-away from the presentation is that the fight for civil rights for people with disabilities has come a long way, but it is important for us to keep advocating for people with disabilities. He brought up a good point that many of us, if we live long enough, will become disabled when we get older, so it is interesting to take that approach to fuel your desire to advocate for people with disabilities. Additionally, accidents happen, and anything could happen in the blink of an eye.
            During the Era Presentations, quite a few groups talked about the events that sparked occupational therapy. Many of these events were related to soldiers coming back from war which caused an increase in people with disabilities and injuries from the war. We discussed that it was very difficult for these people to return to their jobs and daily activities that they had left behind when they went to the war. The wars are a critical part of the history that Dr. Kiesling discussed yesterday because the people who returned from war injured are a part of the history of the culture of disability.

            As a future occupational therapy practitioner, this presentation has encouraged me to consider the past and know where the culture of disability has been and how far it has come but to also know that culture is still changing, and we still have a long way to go. One of the main points I took away from this presentation is that integration is key. In the past, people with disabilities have been isolated in institutions, excluded from schools and jobs, and it is important to know that the best thing to do for everyone is to be inclusive. My favorite piece of advice that Dr. Kiesling gave us is to have the courage to say “I don’t know” to clients or their families. A lot of families will ask “Will he/she ever be able to ________?”, and it is important to not crush their hope, and we as practitioners are never completely sure that our client will or won’t do an activity again.

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