Society’s Attitude Toward People with Disabilities (The American Dentist's Perspective)
Society’s Attitude Toward People with Disabilities (The American Dentist's Perspective) Historical Perspective During the past 40 to 50 years there have been numerous changes in our society with respect to the management and treatment of people with disabilities. In addition, there have been many advancements in medical care. As a result, most of these individuals reside in the community rather than institutions and depend upon community-based private practitioners for oral health care. How did these changes occur? Prior to the twentieth century, social attitudes reflected the view that persons with disabilities were unhealthy, defective and deviant. For centuries, society as a whole treated these people as objects of fear and pity. The prevailing attitude was that such individuals were incapable of participating in or contributing to society and that they must rely on welfare or charitable organizations. Generally speaking, prior to the late 1800’s, people w...