Colonial America
Special education for disabled people in colonial America was non-existent. Individuals with disabilities who could overcome or adapt to their disability were treated well and sometimes achieved great prominence. Some examples are Thomas Jefferson, Washington Irving, and Cotton Mather who all had speech difficulties. Some other notable disabled people from America’s early days include the artist John Brewster who was deaf, Colonel William Prescott who was visually impaired, and Stephen Hopkins who had Cerebral Palsy. Mr. Hopkins is famous for stating “My hand trembles, my heart does not” as he signed the Declaration of Independence. The picture was quite different for disabled people who did not manage their disabilities well. They were shunned by colonial society. Disabled family members were hidden away at home. Mental disorders were often blamed on demon possession. Disabled people who did not have a family to care for them were usually homeless. Sometimes they received county assistance. In this case, they would often be forced to wear a red or blue letter “P” on their chest signifying poverty. - http://www.
Watson v. City of Cambridge Massachusetts ~ Supreme Court upheld the exclusion of a student because he was “weak minded.” - Essential Concepts and School-Based Cases in Special Education Law
Children with what would later be termed Attention Deficit/
