One of my interests is disability history, especially the history of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I was amazed when I read the work of Phil Ferguson (author of Abandoned to Their Fate) and learned that fewer than 10% of people with developmental disabilities ever lived in the large state institutions for the disabled. The majority lived in their home communities. The history and philosophy of the large institutions has been studied in a limited way; the lives of people in the community has hardly been studied at all.
When I think back through my own life history, I remember stories about people with developmental disabilities (family members, family friends, neighbors, etc.); I suspect everyone does. I would like to start collecting these stories, looking for themes, historical lessons, wisdom, etc.
Anyone have a story to share?
Do you have memories from your childhood of friends or family
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