A Disability History of the United States

Explain the ways in which European colonization in North America led to increased disability among Indigenous peoples.

Why were “refuse slaves” left extremely vulnerable within the context of the slave trade? How did economic factors play a role in the categorization of enslaved people as “refuse slaves”?

Discuss the ways in which abolitionists used the concept of disability to argue against slavery. Were their arguments ableist? Why or why not?

Explain some of the reasons for the rise of oralism following the Civil War. Was oralism a product of ableist bias? Why or why not?

In what ways was the “likely to become a public charge” (103), or LPC, clause embedded in class, ethnic, race, sexual, and gender assumptions?

Discuss the ways in which proponents of eugenics spoke about forced sterilization in patriotic terms. How did patriotism play a role in how people with disabilities were understood and treated at various points in US history?

Following the Great Depression, why did some deaf leaders and organizations reject alliances with other groups and activists with disabilities? Was the rejection of these alliances misguided, or are there possible benefits to a single-issue focus?

Select another political movement of the 1960s and 1970s and examine its intersection with the disability rights movement. In what ways did these movements embrace intersectionality? Are there ways that these movements could have benefitted from adopting more intersectional approaches?