Argumentative Essay On Disabled People

For a significant amount of time in the 20th century, it was common to segregate disabled people from the rest of society. American disabled people had been put away in institutions with the reason given that it was for their own good, as well as the good of society. In 1913 Britain even passed the mental incapacity act, this led to around 40,000 men and women being locked away, having been deemed feeble-minded and morally defective. The disabled people living in hospitals, special schools, and care homes are known to have suffered severe emotional and physical abuse. Institutions regularly regarded their disabled residents as second-class citizens and thus showed them little respect. Employees on Staff at these facilities often made little to no attempt to empathize with disabled people 's experiences, denying them independance, choice, and dignity. At times the caregivers of these institutions deliberately caused patients pain and discomfort. In care homes and special schools for disabled children, there was

At one hospital near Baltimore, one study involved taking x-ray images of the brains of epileptic children in the hospital. Researchers drilled holes into the skulls of these young patients, drained the fluid surrounding their brains, and then pumped air, or helium into the skull in place of the fluid to allow clear x-rays of the brain to be taken. This fluid protects the brain from damage but makes x-ray images cloudy. This technique produced horrendous side-effects including severe headaches, dizziness, seizures and vomiting. In the worst cases, the technique caused permanent brain damage and paralysis. In another study, entitled "The use of deep temporal leads in the study of psychomotor epilepsy", metal probes were inserted into patients ' brains. This among other atrocities were the norm for many institutions taking care of disabled