This chapter begins with an exploration of the production and development of eugenic discourses, explicitly adopted by institutions at the beginning of the 20th century and subsequently reaching their height during the Nazi regime, Though officially condemned, these discourses continued to influence service provision after 1945, when most people with intellectual disabilities who did not live with their families had to live in psychiatric hospitals or large Christian or state-run institutions. Parent-led organisations, developing from the mid-1960s, led to the first significant change in quality of services for persons with intellectual disabilities. In the late 1970s, the adoption of new ideas of normalisation and integration led to the implementation of de-institutionalisation programmes. These however left some large institutional settings untouched and, despite several policy changes and efforts to create a more personalised system of care since the 2000s, the institutional system of service provision continues to cause serious problems, and eugenic discourses and practices endure.
This book provides a transnational perspective on intellectual disability in the twentieth century with contributions from distinguished authors in 14 countries across 5 continents. Each chapter outlines policies and practice from the featured nation. Life stories illustrate their impact on people with intellectual disabilities and their families. The book brings together accounts of how intellectual disability was viewed, managed and experienced in countries across the globe. It examines the origins and nature of contemporary attitudes, policy and practice; and sheds light on the challenges of implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD).With contributions from distinguished authors in 14 countries across 5 continents, this book provides a unique transnational perspective on intellectual disability in the twentieth century. Each chapter outlines different policies and practices, and details real-life accounts from those living with intellectual disabilities to illustrate their impact of policies and practices on these people and their families.Bringing together accounts of how intellectual disability was viewed, managed and experienced in countries across the globe, the book examines the origins and nature of contemporary attitudes, policy and practice and sheds light on the challenges of implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD).Bringing together accounts of how intellectual disability was viewed, managed and experienced in countries across the globe, the book examines the origins and nature of contemporary attitudes, policy and practice and sheds light on the challenges of implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD).