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ReVisioning American History #2
A Disability History of the United States
The first book to cover the entirety of disability history, from pre-1492 to the present
Disability is not just the story of someone we love or the story of whom we may become; rather it is undoubtedly the story of our nation. Covering the entirety of US history from pre-1492 to the present, A Disability History of the United States is the first book to place the experiences of people with disabilities at the center of the American narrative. In many ways, it’s a familiar telling. In other ways, however, it is a radical repositioning of US history. By doing so, the book casts new light on familiar stories, such as slavery and immigration, while breaking ground about the ties between nativism and oralism in the late nineteenth century and the role of ableism in the development of democracy.
A Disability History of the United States pulls from primary-source documents and social histories to retell American history through the eyes, words, and impressions of the people who lived it. As historian and disability scholar Nielsen argues, to understand disability history isn’t to narrowly focus on a series of individual triumphs but rather to examine mass movements and pivotal daily events through the lens of varied experiences. Throughout the book, Nielsen deftly illustrates how concepts of disability have deeply shaped the American experience—from deciding who was allowed to immigrate to establishing labor laws and justifying slavery and gender discrimination. Included are absorbing—at times horrific—narratives of blinded slaves being thrown overboard and women being involuntarily sterilized, as well as triumphant accounts of disabled miners organizing strikes and disability rights activists picketing Washington.
Engrossing and profound, A Disability History of the United States fundamentally reinterprets how we view our nation’s past: from a stifling master narrative to a shared history that encompasses us all.
Disability is not just the story of someone we love or the story of whom we may become; rather it is undoubtedly the story of our nation. Covering the entirety of US history from pre-1492 to the present, A Disability History of the United States is the first book to place the experiences of people with disabilities at the center of the American narrative. In many ways, it’s a familiar telling. In other ways, however, it is a radical repositioning of US history. By doing so, the book casts new light on familiar stories, such as slavery and immigration, while breaking ground about the ties between nativism and oralism in the late nineteenth century and the role of ableism in the development of democracy.
A Disability History of the United States pulls from primary-source documents and social histories to retell American history through the eyes, words, and impressions of the people who lived it. As historian and disability scholar Nielsen argues, to understand disability history isn’t to narrowly focus on a series of individual triumphs but rather to examine mass movements and pivotal daily events through the lens of varied experiences. Throughout the book, Nielsen deftly illustrates how concepts of disability have deeply shaped the American experience—from deciding who was allowed to immigrate to establishing labor laws and justifying slavery and gender discrimination. Included are absorbing—at times horrific—narratives of blinded slaves being thrown overboard and women being involuntarily sterilized, as well as triumphant accounts of disabled miners organizing strikes and disability rights activists picketing Washington.
Engrossing and profound, A Disability History of the United States fundamentally reinterprets how we view our nation’s past: from a stifling master narrative to a shared history that encompasses us all.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2012
About the author
Kim E. Nielsen
12 books37 followersEver since I was a kid exploring my community's old Carnegie library, I had loved biography! Now I'm professor of history and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Studying history means I get to read biography and consider it work. My most recent book is Beyond the Miracle Worker: The Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy and Her Extraordinary Friendship with Helen Keller (Beacon Press, 2009).
Author appearances:
- October 2009, Wisconsin Literary Festival
- May 28, 7 pm, Readers Loft Bookstore, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- June 6, 12:30 pm, Printers Row Literary Festival, University Center Loop Room, 525 S. State St., 3rd floor, Chicago, Illinois
Author appearances:
- October 2009, Wisconsin Literary Festival
- May 28, 7 pm, Readers Loft Bookstore, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- June 6, 12:30 pm, Printers Row Literary Festival, University Center Loop Room, 525 S. State St., 3rd floor, Chicago, Illinois
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
June 7, 2017
About what you'd expect for a survey of 300+ years that weighs in at under 200 pages. Uneven coverage of different disabilities or types of disabilities and reliant upon secondary sources. I wish it had been organized thematically instead of just chronologically, because the examples within each historical period didn't necessarily hang together just because they occurred at roughly the same time. Also, seemed like Neilsen was trying hard to write for a general audience, but her tone swung between scholarly ("discourses") and casual (even using contractions sometimes). I've read some other disability and medical history and was intrigued by the connection between disability and the lack of ability to work, and I learned more about how phenomena like industrialization and slavery caused disabilities. I actually don't mind that Neilsen doesn't have a disability, because I saw this as her trying to understand why she is socially defined as able-bodied while others aren't.
April 20, 2014
This was a good beginner's primer to the history of disability in the US. I think it was a great choice to add to the library at my work. I appreciated the intersectional analyses of race, class, gender and sexuality that is so often missing from books like this--not that there are many in the first place. I do think that there could have easily been more depth in each chapter, and was a bit disappointed that it ended with the passage of the ADA which was about 25 years ago now; it would have been nice to have examples of organizing that has gone on since then. Definitely recommended for folks looking for a readable introductory overview of the subject.
December 14, 2021
Interesting and fairly high-level overview of history in the USA through a disability-focused lens, including how the definition of disability has evolved over the years. Definitely quite general/broad, but it doesn't claim to be otherwise, and I think it made for an interesting read and a good starting place to learn more about disability and ableism.
November 24, 2018
While providing only a brief survey of disability in the US, Nielsen consistently reminds readers that disability is stratified by race, gender, class, and sexuality. Historically, disability has been bound up with oppression (women, queers, poor people, and POC have all been understood as disabled at times) and with assumptions about one's ability to engage in productive labor. Industrialization intensified the number of people with disabilities (due to unsafe living and working conditions) and the ways in which people with disabilities are oppressed. Nielsen addresses the negative effects of early liberal reforms focused on institutionalizing and"remediating" people with disabilities. And she includes many instances of people resisting oppression and fighting for their lives.
However, the implications of Nielsen's critiques aren't born out by her focus. The book limits itself to the struggle of people with disabilities to gain acceptance and inclusion into a fundamentally ableist society, in which "difference" is tolerated so long as one contributes "value." I would have liked to have seen more of a focus on movements that recognize the importance of transforming oppressive social structures, like colonialism and industrialization, rather than mere acceptance into colonialist and industrialized societies. Jasbir Puar's "Right to Maim" offers a similar critique of assimilationist aspirations.
However, the implications of Nielsen's critiques aren't born out by her focus. The book limits itself to the struggle of people with disabilities to gain acceptance and inclusion into a fundamentally ableist society, in which "difference" is tolerated so long as one contributes "value." I would have liked to have seen more of a focus on movements that recognize the importance of transforming oppressive social structures, like colonialism and industrialization, rather than mere acceptance into colonialist and industrialized societies. Jasbir Puar's "Right to Maim" offers a similar critique of assimilationist aspirations.
May 2, 2020
Interesting, and I like the intersectional approach. At times, I wish there were more specifics on groups, like the blind, deaf, or those with epilepsy, etc.
October 5, 2012
A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen
"A Disability History of the United States" is the informative book about the history of the United States through experiences of people with disabilities. It's a story of stigma and pride denied, it's a journey of overcoming special challenges to make oneself at home. Professor of history and author of three books, Kim E. Nielsen takes the reader on an enlightening and often-disregarded history in the United States through the lives of people with disabilities. The book begins prior to European conquest and colonization and ends to the present time. I found the book to be more informational than inspirational but overall educational, I appreciate the author's candor for the need to explore even further and this book will help whet the appetite of such pursuits. This instructive 272-page book is composed is the following eight chapters: 1. The spirit chooses the body it will occupy: Indigenous North America, Pre-1492, 2. The poor, vicious, and infirm: Colonial Communities, 1492-1700, 3. The miserable wretches were then thrown into the sea: The Late Colonial Era, 1700-1776, 4. The deviant and the independent: Creating Citizens, 1776-1865, 5. I am disabled, and must go at something else besides hard labor: The Institutionalization of Disability, 1865-1890, 6. Three generations of imbeciles are enough: The Progressive Era, 1890-1927, 7. We don't want tin cups: Laying the Groundwork, 1927-1968, and 8. I guess I'm an activist. I think it's just caring: Rights and Rights Denied, 1968-.
Positives:
1. Straightforward accessible prose, a well researched and enlightening book.
2. An interesting and often overlooked topic.
3. The author does a wonderful job of being fair and even-handed. There is no political agenda whatsoever in this book; it's all about telling a story as accurately as possible. Bravo.
4. The description of disability. What is has been equated to and the struggle to redefine it.
5. The author does a good job through countless examples, to describe the struggles that people with disabilities have lived with and continue to do so. It's also interesting to see the evolution of the struggle.
6. The book takes the reader on a journey through time, progressing chronologically through history and the experiences of people with disabilities.
7. Indigenous understanding of disability. How the western concepts of wellness tragically conflicted with the indigenous embrace of body, mind and spirit as one.
8. The effects of European incursions. How early European colonists viewed disability.
9. The impact of racist ideologies. Tragic stories. The vicious tenets of scientific racism. Slavery.
10. Categorizing disability. Understanding the new nation's quest to define good and "bad" citizens. Incompetent citizenship. "Dumb" residents. Legislation. The many different categories of disability and the factions and groups that form to combat societal indifferences .
11. The consequences of war.
12. There are some stories that will raise some eyebrows, "No woman, he warned, could simultaneously use 'a good brain' and a good reproductive system that serve the race." Thankfully, times have changed generally for the better.
13. An exploration of the eugenics, oralist movements. Immigration restrictions and state compulsory-sterilization laws. "The belief that an immigrant was unfit to work justified exclusion, but so did the belief that an immigrant was likely to encounter discrimination because of disability." Some stories will make your jaws drop.
14. The impact of industrialization.
15. The period that led to activism among people with disabilities. The legislation that resulted from such activism. Education, opportunities.
16. The impact of diseases, polio as an example.
17. Overcoming architectural barriers through legislation.
18. The struggle to overcome employment discrimination.
19. Disability activism, disability pride and empowerment. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
20. Links worked great.
Negatives:
1. My biggest complaint has to do with style versus substance. The book lacked passion or panache, it is clearly more informational than inspirational.
2. A section of acronyms was warranted.
3. A summary of laws enacted would have added value.
4. An excellent notes section but no formal bibliography.
5. This book is more an appetizer than the main entree but it's a very good appetizer indeed.
In summary, this is quite an educational book. As an engineer I have firsthand knowledge of dealing with productivity and instrumentation as it relates to human methods but my history on disability was sadly lacking. This book did a wonderful job of filling that void. This book caught my eye and I'm very pleased to have read it. My only major criticism and it's merely one of style than substance, is the lack of passion or panache. The book is definitely more informative than inspirational, so if you the reader are looking for a book that inspires a call for action this is not that type of book. Sticking to her professorial roots, Nielsen took the educational route and in doing so did accomplish the goal of enlightening the public on this seldom-covered topic. "The Disability History of the United States" fills a void of knowledge, I recommend it!
Further suggestions: "A Journey Into the Deaf-World" by Harlan Lane, Robert Hoffmeister and Ben Bahan, "Miracle Boy Grows Up: How the Disability Rights Revolution Saved My Sanity" by Ben Mattlin, "No Pity : People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement" by Joseph P. Shapiro, "Reflections from a Different Journey : What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew" by Stanley Klein and John Kemp, "From Disability to Possibility: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms" by Patrick Schwarz, "The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public (The History of Disability)" by Susan M. Schweik, "One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All" by Mark Robert Rank, and "Encyclopedia of American Disability History (3 Volume set)" by Susan Burch.
"A Disability History of the United States" is the informative book about the history of the United States through experiences of people with disabilities. It's a story of stigma and pride denied, it's a journey of overcoming special challenges to make oneself at home. Professor of history and author of three books, Kim E. Nielsen takes the reader on an enlightening and often-disregarded history in the United States through the lives of people with disabilities. The book begins prior to European conquest and colonization and ends to the present time. I found the book to be more informational than inspirational but overall educational, I appreciate the author's candor for the need to explore even further and this book will help whet the appetite of such pursuits. This instructive 272-page book is composed is the following eight chapters: 1. The spirit chooses the body it will occupy: Indigenous North America, Pre-1492, 2. The poor, vicious, and infirm: Colonial Communities, 1492-1700, 3. The miserable wretches were then thrown into the sea: The Late Colonial Era, 1700-1776, 4. The deviant and the independent: Creating Citizens, 1776-1865, 5. I am disabled, and must go at something else besides hard labor: The Institutionalization of Disability, 1865-1890, 6. Three generations of imbeciles are enough: The Progressive Era, 1890-1927, 7. We don't want tin cups: Laying the Groundwork, 1927-1968, and 8. I guess I'm an activist. I think it's just caring: Rights and Rights Denied, 1968-.
Positives:
1. Straightforward accessible prose, a well researched and enlightening book.
2. An interesting and often overlooked topic.
3. The author does a wonderful job of being fair and even-handed. There is no political agenda whatsoever in this book; it's all about telling a story as accurately as possible. Bravo.
4. The description of disability. What is has been equated to and the struggle to redefine it.
5. The author does a good job through countless examples, to describe the struggles that people with disabilities have lived with and continue to do so. It's also interesting to see the evolution of the struggle.
6. The book takes the reader on a journey through time, progressing chronologically through history and the experiences of people with disabilities.
7. Indigenous understanding of disability. How the western concepts of wellness tragically conflicted with the indigenous embrace of body, mind and spirit as one.
8. The effects of European incursions. How early European colonists viewed disability.
9. The impact of racist ideologies. Tragic stories. The vicious tenets of scientific racism. Slavery.
10. Categorizing disability. Understanding the new nation's quest to define good and "bad" citizens. Incompetent citizenship. "Dumb" residents. Legislation. The many different categories of disability and the factions and groups that form to combat societal indifferences .
11. The consequences of war.
12. There are some stories that will raise some eyebrows, "No woman, he warned, could simultaneously use 'a good brain' and a good reproductive system that serve the race." Thankfully, times have changed generally for the better.
13. An exploration of the eugenics, oralist movements. Immigration restrictions and state compulsory-sterilization laws. "The belief that an immigrant was unfit to work justified exclusion, but so did the belief that an immigrant was likely to encounter discrimination because of disability." Some stories will make your jaws drop.
14. The impact of industrialization.
15. The period that led to activism among people with disabilities. The legislation that resulted from such activism. Education, opportunities.
16. The impact of diseases, polio as an example.
17. Overcoming architectural barriers through legislation.
18. The struggle to overcome employment discrimination.
19. Disability activism, disability pride and empowerment. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
20. Links worked great.
Negatives:
1. My biggest complaint has to do with style versus substance. The book lacked passion or panache, it is clearly more informational than inspirational.
2. A section of acronyms was warranted.
3. A summary of laws enacted would have added value.
4. An excellent notes section but no formal bibliography.
5. This book is more an appetizer than the main entree but it's a very good appetizer indeed.
In summary, this is quite an educational book. As an engineer I have firsthand knowledge of dealing with productivity and instrumentation as it relates to human methods but my history on disability was sadly lacking. This book did a wonderful job of filling that void. This book caught my eye and I'm very pleased to have read it. My only major criticism and it's merely one of style than substance, is the lack of passion or panache. The book is definitely more informative than inspirational, so if you the reader are looking for a book that inspires a call for action this is not that type of book. Sticking to her professorial roots, Nielsen took the educational route and in doing so did accomplish the goal of enlightening the public on this seldom-covered topic. "The Disability History of the United States" fills a void of knowledge, I recommend it!
Further suggestions: "A Journey Into the Deaf-World" by Harlan Lane, Robert Hoffmeister and Ben Bahan, "Miracle Boy Grows Up: How the Disability Rights Revolution Saved My Sanity" by Ben Mattlin, "No Pity : People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement" by Joseph P. Shapiro, "Reflections from a Different Journey : What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew" by Stanley Klein and John Kemp, "From Disability to Possibility: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms" by Patrick Schwarz, "The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public (The History of Disability)" by Susan M. Schweik, "One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All" by Mark Robert Rank, and "Encyclopedia of American Disability History (3 Volume set)" by Susan Burch.
October 6, 2019
Great book. Normally, I write pretty extensive reviews of books because I have a terrible memory and enjoy going back and remembering my thoughts on a book. I don't particularly feel the need to write a long review here because this book is going to be a kind of reference for me.
Nielsen does a great job of stuffing a complex and long history into an easily readable 189 pages. The book doesn't offer an exhaustive history, but serves its purpose well: to give a foundational history of disability rights and to inspire people to learn more about disability, its past and its present. I was also struck by how inclusive it was and how it always had intersectionality in mind, clearly stating that people of different races, genders, orientations, and social classes experienced disability in very different ways. Particularly interesting to me was the analysis of citizenship and disability's relationship--the creation of citizenship required the demarcation of who was allowed to fully participate and who wasn't. Tying democracy to "ability", people with disabilities were exempt from becoming full citizens.
I think the only major flaw of this book is that it doesn't touch upon healthcare enough, in my opinion. As the ACA is deliberately destroyed, connecting our past to our present is important.
Nielsen does a great job of stuffing a complex and long history into an easily readable 189 pages. The book doesn't offer an exhaustive history, but serves its purpose well: to give a foundational history of disability rights and to inspire people to learn more about disability, its past and its present. I was also struck by how inclusive it was and how it always had intersectionality in mind, clearly stating that people of different races, genders, orientations, and social classes experienced disability in very different ways. Particularly interesting to me was the analysis of citizenship and disability's relationship--the creation of citizenship required the demarcation of who was allowed to fully participate and who wasn't. Tying democracy to "ability", people with disabilities were exempt from becoming full citizens.
I think the only major flaw of this book is that it doesn't touch upon healthcare enough, in my opinion. As the ACA is deliberately destroyed, connecting our past to our present is important.
March 13, 2022
This book is a pretty good primer for readers that missed out on some crucial disability history in school but it isn't executed as well as it could've been. Because the author has crammed 400 years into a short book, the often untold individual stories get the short end of the stick and I think that it suffers from not having a stronger thematic throughline as a result. In that sense, it sometimes reads like a textbook. In addition, the book doesn't cover any of the last 25 years...which is kind of bizarre to me. What I did appreciate, however, was the understanding that class, race, gender and disability rights are and have been interconnected from America's inception. I would still highly encourage people to read it if they don't know much about disability history in the US, because there aren't many other history books that focus on it only from that angle.
February 24, 2024
This book was fascinating. It tells the story of US history from pre-Columbus to the present. Some events are standard historical knowledge, but everything is told from the point of view of people with disabilities.
Indigenous people most likely were more accepting of people with disabilities because, as long as they could do something valuable for the community, what they needed help with or couldn't do themselves, others would help them.
In colonial times, this is when disability would pretty much guarantee you'd never even make it to the New World. You had to be able to handle the arduous journey across the ocean.
When the American Revolution created veterans with disabilities, this was when the government first started issuing pensions for disabled veterans, but it wasn't issued regularly.
A large section was devoted to disabled slaves and freed blacks. Slaves weren't worth as much money if they were disabled. Even once slaves were emancipated, some with disabilities had no choice but to stay on with their former owners because they physically couldn't go anywhere.
Immigrants were ofqen turned away if they had disabilities. Even perceived disability was reason for being turned away at the nation's ports.
People with mental, cognitive or psychiatric disabilities began being institutionalized. Then people with disabilities faced sterilization.
The 1960's was a time of civil unrest for the country as a whole, and disability activists began gaining strength. Organizations were formed for the advocacy of those with disabilities. Bills were passed, but then not enforced.
These are just some of the highlights of what's discussed in this book. I've often thought, if I had to be born with a disability, I'm glad I was born in an age with so much technology and adaptive equipment available to me, and with the rights we now have that so many have fought so hard for. Reading this book just made me even more grateful I was born when I was.
Indigenous people most likely were more accepting of people with disabilities because, as long as they could do something valuable for the community, what they needed help with or couldn't do themselves, others would help them.
In colonial times, this is when disability would pretty much guarantee you'd never even make it to the New World. You had to be able to handle the arduous journey across the ocean.
When the American Revolution created veterans with disabilities, this was when the government first started issuing pensions for disabled veterans, but it wasn't issued regularly.
A large section was devoted to disabled slaves and freed blacks. Slaves weren't worth as much money if they were disabled. Even once slaves were emancipated, some with disabilities had no choice but to stay on with their former owners because they physically couldn't go anywhere.
Immigrants were ofqen turned away if they had disabilities. Even perceived disability was reason for being turned away at the nation's ports.
People with mental, cognitive or psychiatric disabilities began being institutionalized. Then people with disabilities faced sterilization.
The 1960's was a time of civil unrest for the country as a whole, and disability activists began gaining strength. Organizations were formed for the advocacy of those with disabilities. Bills were passed, but then not enforced.
These are just some of the highlights of what's discussed in this book. I've often thought, if I had to be born with a disability, I'm glad I was born in an age with so much technology and adaptive equipment available to me, and with the rights we now have that so many have fought so hard for. Reading this book just made me even more grateful I was born when I was.
March 23, 2023
This book was honestly so fantastic. The only thing I wasn't all the way sold on was that it ends with the Disability Rights Movement, without gesturing to the Disability Justice Movement which has grown out of the successes (and failures) of Disability Rights. Besides that, I really think this is a great example of history done rigorously, intersectionally and with an orientation towards justice. This maps how disability has shifted throughout time and how race, gender, sexuality and class were enmeshed in the definitions and lived experiences of disability. I think everyone should read this book. Wow wow wow. Excellent.
Read
January 8, 2024This captures the spirit of Howard Zinn as opposed to his thoroughness. I can't believe this book is under 200 pages for the years it covers. Still, if you want an overview it's not bad
September 25, 2023
2.5 really. This is gonna be a rant...
This is an OKAY primer for jumping into US disability history. It's about what you'd expect for hundreds of years' worth of nuanced history squashed into less than 190 pages (which includes a pretty long personal introduction), written by a non-disabled white woman.
As for the content, it was slim. Most of the history written about is through the lens of labor. Even though it's mentioned multiple times in the book that throughout history, disabled people have tried to convince society that they are more than their ability to produce labor, this book focused almost entirely on JOBS. Occasionally, the author would write about specific obstacles the disability community faces, but mostly, she talked about how the disability community banded together so we could get us jobs and prove to society that we weren't worthless.
I would have loved to have read more about social movements, about activists and communities, Crip camps, crawls, clubs, the social lives of historical disabled people and the political lives of those disabled people who fought for the skant few rights that we have today. If these things were mentioned, they were briefly mentioned as a segue to continue talking about our relationships with labor. Disappointing.
Occasionally, we spoke about the intersectionality of disability. How it affects people of color, poor people, people of different faiths, but it certainly didn't maintain that theme throughout, ya know? Like it was a paragraph or two thrown into a few chapters.
It was really disappointing that the only talk of Indigenous people's was of those of the pre-colonial past, not of the modern (and totally still alive and existing) Indigenous peoples. Not even mentioning that the modern disability rate of Indigenous peoples is higher than average. The same went for Black people, most of what is mentioned about them is talking about the enslaved! How they were worth less if they were disabled. Like, really? Like the only context she has for black and brown people is talking about them like theyre either ancient/extinct, or from when they were enslaved!? There is no mention of how disability DRASTICALLY affects Indigenous and Black folks different compared to white.
I think what really would have helped this book would be to organize it by topic rather than chronologically. That way multiple important themes could have been addressed. And to address those topics thru a lense of intersectionality.
- The legal definition of disabled and how it changed over time.
- Disability & labor (the industrial revolution & how it disabled people)
- How disabled war veterans were treated and how that changed over time and maybe why?
- Important laws.
- Popular activists and activist groups, and the mainstream activist groups that helped ours (like the Black Panthers).
- brief history of institutionalization & the effects of deinstitutionalization.
- accessibility and a brief history of assistive tech (prosthetics, wheelchairs, etc)
I think if the book was broken down in this way, we could have covered a lot more and as a reader learned a lot more about our disability history without reducing us the "the obstacles faced when it was time to prove we werent worthless in the eyes of capitalism".
This is an OKAY primer for jumping into US disability history. It's about what you'd expect for hundreds of years' worth of nuanced history squashed into less than 190 pages (which includes a pretty long personal introduction), written by a non-disabled white woman.
As for the content, it was slim. Most of the history written about is through the lens of labor. Even though it's mentioned multiple times in the book that throughout history, disabled people have tried to convince society that they are more than their ability to produce labor, this book focused almost entirely on JOBS. Occasionally, the author would write about specific obstacles the disability community faces, but mostly, she talked about how the disability community banded together so we could get us jobs and prove to society that we weren't worthless.
I would have loved to have read more about social movements, about activists and communities, Crip camps, crawls, clubs, the social lives of historical disabled people and the political lives of those disabled people who fought for the skant few rights that we have today. If these things were mentioned, they were briefly mentioned as a segue to continue talking about our relationships with labor. Disappointing.
Occasionally, we spoke about the intersectionality of disability. How it affects people of color, poor people, people of different faiths, but it certainly didn't maintain that theme throughout, ya know? Like it was a paragraph or two thrown into a few chapters.
It was really disappointing that the only talk of Indigenous people's was of those of the pre-colonial past, not of the modern (and totally still alive and existing) Indigenous peoples. Not even mentioning that the modern disability rate of Indigenous peoples is higher than average. The same went for Black people, most of what is mentioned about them is talking about the enslaved! How they were worth less if they were disabled. Like, really? Like the only context she has for black and brown people is talking about them like theyre either ancient/extinct, or from when they were enslaved!? There is no mention of how disability DRASTICALLY affects Indigenous and Black folks different compared to white.
I think what really would have helped this book would be to organize it by topic rather than chronologically. That way multiple important themes could have been addressed. And to address those topics thru a lense of intersectionality.
- The legal definition of disabled and how it changed over time.
- Disability & labor (the industrial revolution & how it disabled people)
- How disabled war veterans were treated and how that changed over time and maybe why?
- Important laws.
- Popular activists and activist groups, and the mainstream activist groups that helped ours (like the Black Panthers).
- brief history of institutionalization & the effects of deinstitutionalization.
- accessibility and a brief history of assistive tech (prosthetics, wheelchairs, etc)
I think if the book was broken down in this way, we could have covered a lot more and as a reader learned a lot more about our disability history without reducing us the "the obstacles faced when it was time to prove we werent worthless in the eyes of capitalism".
March 26, 2022
Highly recommend this if you want a brief overview of the history of how the US has treated those with disabilities. This book also did an amazing job discussing how ableism, racism, and sexism are all intertwined. All three groups of prejudice stem from each other and must all be addressed.
April 10, 2019
This book would have been so much more readable if it had been arranged topically rather than by decade. I felt like I was reading the same stuff over and over. I also recognize that physical disabilities are the most visible but I would have liked to have read more about intellectual and developmental disabilities or care for the multiply disabled.
January 15, 2024
This was a quick and interesting foray into the history of disability in this place we call the united states.
I appreciated Nielsen including some pre-colonial indigenous connotations and applications of disability, as well as making sure her narrative did not exclude Black and indigenous (and occasionally, other racialized) disabled histories. But it did still often feel like a predominantly white account with a peripheral gaze for racialized/indigenous people though. I would've liked to hear more about how these communities functioned, lived, fought, loved, and accommodated themselves within and amongst themselves, as opposed to merely how they functioned within and against white society.
I definitely crave a cultural and political exploration of disability a bit more dense, where this was more like an in-depth summary spanning several centuries. But it made for good introductory level reading, and given the task at hand, I found the synopsis to be quite compelling. I wasn't sure how to feel about her using anachronistic language to contextualize experiences of their time, specifically words that exist in the present day as ableist slurs and insults (genuinely hard to hear spoken repeatedly as a disabled person trying to engage), when much of that context could have easily been accommodated by a less harmful expressions, reflective of the present day. And I personally hate person-first language and, while we are not a monolith, I also know a lot of disabled people agree with me. So I do wish she could have identified us as we tend to want to be identified - as disabled people, not 'people with disabilities.'
But all in all, I'm glad I listened to this book.
One of the bigger things I've learned that I think will truly stick with me forever is that original definitions of disability in this country amounted to more or less 'anyone not capable of civic life' (e.g. those without the right to vote) or 'anyone not capable of working' (which included those, such as free Black people, who were barred from large swaths of the work force due to racial discrimination). This rendered anyone who could not do these things, regardless of actual ability, legally disabled, and functioned as an additional, systemic barrier to self-autonomy and wealth.
This offered me more insight into how ableism and anti-Black racism are intertwined.
I appreciated Nielsen including some pre-colonial indigenous connotations and applications of disability, as well as making sure her narrative did not exclude Black and indigenous (and occasionally, other racialized) disabled histories. But it did still often feel like a predominantly white account with a peripheral gaze for racialized/indigenous people though. I would've liked to hear more about how these communities functioned, lived, fought, loved, and accommodated themselves within and amongst themselves, as opposed to merely how they functioned within and against white society.
I definitely crave a cultural and political exploration of disability a bit more dense, where this was more like an in-depth summary spanning several centuries. But it made for good introductory level reading, and given the task at hand, I found the synopsis to be quite compelling. I wasn't sure how to feel about her using anachronistic language to contextualize experiences of their time, specifically words that exist in the present day as ableist slurs and insults (genuinely hard to hear spoken repeatedly as a disabled person trying to engage), when much of that context could have easily been accommodated by a less harmful expressions, reflective of the present day. And I personally hate person-first language and, while we are not a monolith, I also know a lot of disabled people agree with me. So I do wish she could have identified us as we tend to want to be identified - as disabled people, not 'people with disabilities.'
But all in all, I'm glad I listened to this book.
One of the bigger things I've learned that I think will truly stick with me forever is that original definitions of disability in this country amounted to more or less 'anyone not capable of civic life' (e.g. those without the right to vote) or 'anyone not capable of working' (which included those, such as free Black people, who were barred from large swaths of the work force due to racial discrimination). This rendered anyone who could not do these things, regardless of actual ability, legally disabled, and functioned as an additional, systemic barrier to self-autonomy and wealth.
This offered me more insight into how ableism and anti-Black racism are intertwined.
June 22, 2017
A good, VERY general overview of a history of disability in the United States. Nielsen covers 300+ years of history in less than 200 pages. I would love for this to be expanded into a series, since I would gladly read "A Disability History of the United States: 1492-1692" or "A Disability History of the United States: 1950-1990". There's entirely too much content to cover, and much of the material seemed to lean towards physical disabilities.
What I found fascinating within the content is once the United States gets into the Industrial Revolution and Capitalism, things spiral downwards for anyone with a disability. Your worth is solely based around your ability to earn money, yet nobody is willing to provide accommodations so you can prove your economic worth. Our system is ridiculous and has been ever since America came into being.
I wanted to read more about the history of people with cognitive/developmental disabilities. Nielsen touches on colonial times and how these folks were free to live with families and live integrated into society without an issue, but there's not much elaboration. I could chalk this up to a lack of primary sources, but if Nielsen is able to talk about it at all, surely there are more first person accounts? Another shame is that "disability" or "feeblemindedness" or "weakness" in general was literally just about anything just a couple of centuries ago, so I imagine researching for this book was a great big pain in the ass.
This is a recommended first read into the world of disability, and serves as an excellent starting point for anyone who plans to delve deeper into the politics of disability (like moi). With the latter aspect in mind, I especially recommend Nielsen's section on the 1960s and 1970s in Berkeley, CA when disability advocates were out in full force to get equal access to housing, employment, and just the ability to enter buildings without issue. Their common sense requests, which were radical just a few decades ago, will make you furious that this kind of assistance couldn't be brought into the foreground sooner as Nielsen notes it's cheaper to provide accommodations than to shove someone into an institution.
What I found fascinating within the content is once the United States gets into the Industrial Revolution and Capitalism, things spiral downwards for anyone with a disability. Your worth is solely based around your ability to earn money, yet nobody is willing to provide accommodations so you can prove your economic worth. Our system is ridiculous and has been ever since America came into being.
I wanted to read more about the history of people with cognitive/developmental disabilities. Nielsen touches on colonial times and how these folks were free to live with families and live integrated into society without an issue, but there's not much elaboration. I could chalk this up to a lack of primary sources, but if Nielsen is able to talk about it at all, surely there are more first person accounts? Another shame is that "disability" or "feeblemindedness" or "weakness" in general was literally just about anything just a couple of centuries ago, so I imagine researching for this book was a great big pain in the ass.
This is a recommended first read into the world of disability, and serves as an excellent starting point for anyone who plans to delve deeper into the politics of disability (like moi). With the latter aspect in mind, I especially recommend Nielsen's section on the 1960s and 1970s in Berkeley, CA when disability advocates were out in full force to get equal access to housing, employment, and just the ability to enter buildings without issue. Their common sense requests, which were radical just a few decades ago, will make you furious that this kind of assistance couldn't be brought into the foreground sooner as Nielsen notes it's cheaper to provide accommodations than to shove someone into an institution.
September 15, 2020
Nielsen covers a lot of time and ground in about 250 pages, so buckle up for a fast ride.
This book is basically a history book, and, as such, the author is not trying to solve the country's injustice issues or do any activism here. The point of this rather slim volume is to provide an overview of the topic. There's no deep dive into any one aspect of disability history. An entire series could be written on this subject and not fully address every group, law, injustice, etc.
What Nielsen does is examine how the concept/definition of "disability" has changed over time and what forces have driven those changes. Not surprisingly -- spoiler alert -- it has a lot more to do with what Those in Power deem "appropriate for the greater good" than with reality. And, yes, you may as well read "those in power" as meaning "affluent, white, straight males of a certain age and political slant" and translate "appropriate for the greater good" to mean the same. Nielsen starts with the pre-colonial period, during which native cultures seemed not to have a firm concept of a person as disabled and who instead seemed to think in terms of individualized skills and fluid roles within the community for the differently-abled so that everyone could contribute something of value. As she moves to the present, it becomes obvious that a person's "worth" became determined to their ability to do "manly" work and generate an income, their desirability as citizens, and whether they might become "a public burden."
It might surprise some people to learn how fluid the concept of disability has been over history and how closely tied that fluidity is to political and economic agendas. Nielsen shows how, at various times in history, "the disabled" have included slaves, specific immigrant groups, Native Americans, LGBT people, and middle to upper class white women. (Don't worry: It has also included poor white women, but they were differently disabled than their delicate, higher class, always lily white sisters.)
Overall, a solid introduction to a part of American history seldom covered. The footnotes and bibliography are also quite thorough.
This book is basically a history book, and, as such, the author is not trying to solve the country's injustice issues or do any activism here. The point of this rather slim volume is to provide an overview of the topic. There's no deep dive into any one aspect of disability history. An entire series could be written on this subject and not fully address every group, law, injustice, etc.
What Nielsen does is examine how the concept/definition of "disability" has changed over time and what forces have driven those changes. Not surprisingly -- spoiler alert -- it has a lot more to do with what Those in Power deem "appropriate for the greater good" than with reality. And, yes, you may as well read "those in power" as meaning "affluent, white, straight males of a certain age and political slant" and translate "appropriate for the greater good" to mean the same. Nielsen starts with the pre-colonial period, during which native cultures seemed not to have a firm concept of a person as disabled and who instead seemed to think in terms of individualized skills and fluid roles within the community for the differently-abled so that everyone could contribute something of value. As she moves to the present, it becomes obvious that a person's "worth" became determined to their ability to do "manly" work and generate an income, their desirability as citizens, and whether they might become "a public burden."
It might surprise some people to learn how fluid the concept of disability has been over history and how closely tied that fluidity is to political and economic agendas. Nielsen shows how, at various times in history, "the disabled" have included slaves, specific immigrant groups, Native Americans, LGBT people, and middle to upper class white women. (Don't worry: It has also included poor white women, but they were differently disabled than their delicate, higher class, always lily white sisters.)
Overall, a solid introduction to a part of American history seldom covered. The footnotes and bibliography are also quite thorough.
February 23, 2024
Fun(ny) fact(s): Shoutout to Madi for recommending this book to me and to Baylor libraries for their forgiving late books policies.
Favorite quote/image (quoting Clara Chow): "'I guess I am an activist,' she concluded. 'I think it's just caring.'" (pg. 161)
Honorable mention: "Disability is not just a bodily category, but instead and also a social category shaped by changing social factors–just as is able-bodiness. That is not to argue that we should all hold hands and cheerfully insist that we're all disabled in some way or another. That ignores the lived reality that disability can bring physical discomfort or difficulty. It also ignores the historical reality that being defined as disabled has made access to power and resources limited or difficult; and that hierarchies of power contribute to definitions of disability." (pg. xv)
Why: Nielsen provides a brief survey of the history of disabilities in the US, which is no easy task given the diversity of experiences that people with disabilities have at any given point, much less through history. She rightly points out that this is just as part of the American story as the history learned in school, seeking to offer fresh perspective on such a nuanced, complex story.
Favorite quote/image (quoting Clara Chow): "'I guess I am an activist,' she concluded. 'I think it's just caring.'" (pg. 161)
Honorable mention: "Disability is not just a bodily category, but instead and also a social category shaped by changing social factors–just as is able-bodiness. That is not to argue that we should all hold hands and cheerfully insist that we're all disabled in some way or another. That ignores the lived reality that disability can bring physical discomfort or difficulty. It also ignores the historical reality that being defined as disabled has made access to power and resources limited or difficult; and that hierarchies of power contribute to definitions of disability." (pg. xv)
Why: Nielsen provides a brief survey of the history of disabilities in the US, which is no easy task given the diversity of experiences that people with disabilities have at any given point, much less through history. She rightly points out that this is just as part of the American story as the history learned in school, seeking to offer fresh perspective on such a nuanced, complex story.
April 2, 2023
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in History, and will most likely start work on a Master's degree in Public History within a year or so. I also have the spastic hemipegia form of Cerebral Palsy, among many other medical issues. Suffice it to say that this book easily ranks among the most important and personal historical nonfiction books I've ever read. I've always thought about what could've happened to me if I had been born only a mere decade before my birth year.
I required years of various forms of therapy and accommodations to get to where I am today. What if I didn't have access to them? What if my job refused to hire me? What if my teachers and professors hadn't looked passed the limp, the occasional stutter, or the jerky movements? I remember learning that people with physical and mental disabilities were among the first to be rounded up and murdered during the Holocaust; obviously, I would've been among them. However, while I wouldn't have been outright killed in the states, I most certainly wouldn't have been able to accomplish what I done.
I owe it all to those who came and fought before me. The fight for truly equal rights for differently abled people is still ongoing. This book has opened my eyes to subfield of American History that I honestly didn't know existed. One that is extremely real for me, one that I live with every second of my life. Without a doubt, this book will be in my top reads for 2023.
The only reason it isn't a 5 star rating is because I wish that it went more in depth. Covering several hundred years of history in less than 200 pages is very difficult to do.
I required years of various forms of therapy and accommodations to get to where I am today. What if I didn't have access to them? What if my job refused to hire me? What if my teachers and professors hadn't looked passed the limp, the occasional stutter, or the jerky movements? I remember learning that people with physical and mental disabilities were among the first to be rounded up and murdered during the Holocaust; obviously, I would've been among them. However, while I wouldn't have been outright killed in the states, I most certainly wouldn't have been able to accomplish what I done.
I owe it all to those who came and fought before me. The fight for truly equal rights for differently abled people is still ongoing. This book has opened my eyes to subfield of American History that I honestly didn't know existed. One that is extremely real for me, one that I live with every second of my life. Without a doubt, this book will be in my top reads for 2023.
The only reason it isn't a 5 star rating is because I wish that it went more in depth. Covering several hundred years of history in less than 200 pages is very difficult to do.
September 20, 2021
This book wasn’t quite as comprehensive as I had expected but that’s on me — it’s a pretty short book, after all, and on a topic that most general audience readers wouldn’t want to read 500+ pages on. But the book does cover a broad scope and what I appreciated about it most of all was that it challenged accepted thinking about not only how disabled people can and should be allowed to live regular lives but also about what disability even is, how we conceptualize it, and how that conceptualization was shaped less by the inherent abilities and needs of disabled people than by historical forces, economic needs and ideas, and in some instances ideas that were rather arbitrary but took hold anyway.
January 21, 2021
Having already taken a class on United States disability history, I wasn’t able to finish this book because it was too much of a repeat of what I had already learned. It does provide a good synopsis of disability history in the US but can be repetitive at times. The structure is odd in sections because themes are repeated in different timelines. It may have worked better if the author organized the book by themes rather than time in order to avoid repetition. I would recommend this book to someone as an introduction to US disability theory and history.
July 29, 2019
Great read - lots of really interesting info and history on disability rights movement, as well as the intersection with the labor movement and other civil rights movements. Wish it included a bit more about intellectual / cognitive disability (there is some). It mostly focuses on physical disability and deafness. However, overall, this is a really great, informative and quick read.
April 22, 2021
Nielsen is just an amazing author. This book is concise and clear in ways that no other disability studies historian is able to do. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its contents. I am glad it exists and I wish more people would read it.
October 29, 2023
I liked this book. The first time I listened I was half paying attention but it was worth a second listen-through. It starts with pre-colonial native views of what we would think of as disability, and moves forward in time from there. Some of his was known, much was new, and all of it was cool to learn about.
April 9, 2022
Wow - so many new things learned.
July 3, 2022
A must-read. Very happy this was available as an audiobook!
March 12, 2024
So much of this “history” is shockingly recent.
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 31, 2023Listened to the audiobook.
DNF @ 14%
DNF @ 14%
March 26, 2022
2 1/2
This was an informative survey of disability history in the US with an intersectional bent but it was often uneven and dry.
This was an informative survey of disability history in the US with an intersectional bent but it was often uneven and dry.
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