9781422275450

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

autism: a developmental disorder that affects a person’s ability to interact and communicate with others

decibels: a unit of measurement of the volume of sound

manifest: to display or show in one’s appearance

progressive: in medical terms, a disease or condition that is predicted to get worse or more severe over time

CHAPTER

Helping Those with Disabilities : Why It’s Needed PRIOR TREATMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES When we take a look through history, it’s easy to see that people with disabilities have not always been treated with fairness and respect. For many centuries, families were responsible for caring for family members with disabilities on their own, and in many societies, having a disabled family member was seen as a source of shame. In more modern years, government assistance was available to people with disabilities, but it was often abused. Landlords would accept the government money and then leave the disabled person to starve or freeze to death in an attic or other locked space.

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