February 7, 2017 - 11:43
A Disability History of the United States by Kim Nielsen gave a complete summary of the history of disability in North America. Nielsen brought in the perspective on disabiity from several groups of people who have profoundly shaped the history of North America. The beginning of the book focused on Native Americans understanding of disability, which I found extremely fascinating considering how difficult it is to write about America pre-Columbian era due to the lack of primary sources. As the book continued, Nielsen exposes how European colonization brought a very different perspective on disability to America. I think it is also important to note that Nielsen did take an intersectional approach throughout the book, focusing on how race, class, and gender affected the issues surrounding disability. During the end of our last class we breifly touched on how disability is not an isolated topic, but is rather connected through gender, race, and class. I would love to continue this discussion tonight and bring in Nielsen's perspective to the conversation.
A Disability History of the United States is an extremely dense book, filled with an immense amount of interesting conversations. I think it is almost impossible to cover everything Nielsen discussed in one blog post or in one class time. Regardless, there were a couple of moments in the book that really caught my attention, one being the idea of citizenship in the 20th century and how that was used to oppress psychologically and cognitively disabeled people. I was disgusted when reading about the forced sterilization laws in the 20th century, and how they were used as a way to promote patriotism, to keep America American. Outraged is the one word I can use to sum up my entire opinion on that subject. Along with the first topic that infuriated me was the guidelines set in for immigration, stating who was and wasn't allowed into America. Again, outraged. A Disability History of the United States really sets the stage for exploring the concept of disability as it has evolved over time in America.