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Time and Again...and Again...and Again

Unfortunately, the history of people with developmental disabilities is repetitious. As you move through time in this course, you will notice several common themes that seem to reappear regularly. One of the primary reasons you need to know the history of people with developmental disabilities is to give you the information you need to change the future and stop these negative, abusive patterns that have persisted for centuries.

Here are a few of the major themes that have come, then faded away, only to return with new names:

Dehumanization and Devaluation
Exploitation
Segregation and Isolation
Abuse, Neglect and Homicide
Ignorance
Resignation

Let's look at each more closely.