The document reflects on the historical mistreatment of individuals with disabilities, particularly focusing on the practices at Newark State School and the use of negative eugenics to control the birth of disabled individuals. It highlights the cruel attitudes and treatments in the past, such as sterilization and the existence of 'idiot cages.' The author urges readers to stop using derogatory terms for individuals with disabilities, emphasizing the progress made in the treatment and understanding of disabled individuals today.

1. History ReflectionThe Museum of DisabilitiesIntro. To Exceptional StudentBy: Sarah Fricano

2. MAIN TOPIC: How badly did people with disabilities use to be treated?

3. Did you know about Newark? I found this to be so shocking…Wanna know why?!

4. -Some men were such awful husbands to their wives. If the husband felt that his wife was not living up to his standards he would then just send her away and lock her up in Newark. For simple reasons, maybe he felt she wasn’t keeping up with the household duties as well as she should be…Conclusion? She would be sent to Newark for just that reason alone.Some people were sent there for good reasons but also there are some women who are sent there just because of what there husband thinks about them-Newark first opened as an experimental branch of Syracuse state school In 1878.-Newark state school became an independent institution in 1885.-The main purpose of this institution was to instruct females only.-Boys could then finally be admitted in 1932.All about Newark

7. -The picture you just saw was a picture of a disabled person working out in a field.-Way back then, people would have all the individuals with disabilities work out in the big open fields doing farm work because no one would be able to see them that way.

8. What else is different about how we treated people with disabilities years and years ago compared to our society today?

9. There are several people in our world today who are born with some kind of disability. However, years ago they tried to stop the birth of disabled individuals in a terrible way. In hopes to stop the birth of more individuals with disabilities…People would become sterilized! This means that they would make it so that people with disabilities are no longer able to produce because they did not want to take the risk that people with disabilities would end up giving birth so a child with disabilities. This is known as NEGATIVE EUGENICS. NEGATIVE EUGENICS states that once this sterilization has taken place the society would then be “cleansed”.

10. ALSO….-It was also believed that many immigrants were mentally defective and would contribute to crime. They would under go tests at Ellis Island to determine their mental status.-The Eugenic policy~If someone was not like “ourselves” they were less than perfect.

12. WHAT WAS KNOWN AS FOOLS CAGE … ?

13. Fools CageDuring the middle ages it is was believed that many towns had “idiot cages”. These were used to keep people with disabilities and mental illnesses “out of trouble” while providing a source of entertainment for the townspeople.

15. Little Moron-Little Moron was a book of “jokes” that used humor at the expense of the “Little Moron”-Unfortunately, the word moron is still used today by many people as a form of criticism.-The word “moron” was used to describe people with en I.Q. of 50-69- Today, people with that I.Q. level are described by the American Psychiatric Association as having “mild mental retardation”

17. Please DON’T say the R word!-After going through this slide show, I hope that you can now confidently say that everyone as readers will stop saying the R word.-The R word is highly degrading and very hurtful. Even if you are not putting it to use and trying to use it in a hurtful way, it often times is so offensive no matter what. In other words, even when the R word is not said to harm someone with a disability, it is so hurtful.-Please from now on, try your very best to stop the spread of the use of the R word!

19. -You can now see how much of a difference people with disabilities were treated years ago compared to how they are treated now. -Everything I included in this slideshow were facts that were brand new to me! I knew people were treated badly, but I really didn’t think things got that terrible.-It was awful and extremely sad to even think that people were treated that badly. They treated them as if they were some kind of animal.-However on a positive note, today we have changed all of that and have very good programs that supply help for those who are disabled 