Historical Thinking About Disability

July in the UK is Disability Pride Month. There’s a lot more research being done into the history of disability and the experiences of disabled people in the past. This month, although I barely scratch the surface, I’m going to give a quick overview of how thinking about people with disabilities changed in England from the medieval period to the Victorian era.

Until recently, histories of disability focused on what society did to disabled people. A lot of what we learned about disabled people came from court records. However, art over the centuries has depicted plenty of disabled people just getting on with their lives. Disabled people have become part of a hidden history.

In the past, the risk of disability was greater. Poor prenatal knowledge and care, debilitating injuries because of accidents or being in the military, severe illness, and lack of medical care made disability more common, and it was widely accepted.

Being disabled when most work involved hard physical labour meant disability often led to destitution. However, disabled people were part of the fabric of the community at all levels of society, from beggars on the streets to the royal court. Some, especially the wealthy, were lucky enough to be cared for by their family members in their homes. Those who could not rely on family members relied on the charity of others and may have been able to claim poor relief from their parish or the local almshouse. The disabled did what was necessary to survive what were already harsh living conditions.

Historical thinking about disability — William Hogarth – Industry and Idleness, Plate 6;
The Industrious ‘Prentice out of his Time, & Married to his Master’s Daughter
Public Domain

Medieval

Many believed that disability resulted from sin. Disability was considered an outward manifestation of inner disfigurement. They believed those with learning difficulties to be closer to God because of their perceived simplicity and purity.

If a disability hindered physical labour, people had to rely on the goodwill and charity of the community. It forced many into vagrancy and begging. Monasteries housed and cared for the disabled, and there were some medical hospitals for those with long-term conditions like blindness or leprosy.

Early Modern

Following the dissolution of the monasteries, many of the disabled poor were left without aid. Instead, the new, wealthy merchants, who wished to bolster their social status through philanthropic work, built almshouses and hospitals. Services offered by these private institutions varied.

The rebuilding of London following the Great Fire in 1666 included new hospitals for those injured during military service. The Royal Chelsea Hospital housed wounded army veterans, and the hospital in Greenwich catered to disabled sailors.

Some with learning difficulties and physical impairments took advantage of the popularity of fools and jesters in the royal court and found employment that allowed them to lead a life of luxury amongst the elite.

A lot of disabled people took employment in entertainment as part of travelling “freak” shows. While undoubtedly exploitative and objectifying, such jobs allowed disabled people to earn a living of their own choosing. They may have profited from their bodies, but it was usually at the cost of their dignity.

Eighteenth Century

The Enlightenment brought a change in thinking regarding disability. God was no longer believed to be the cause. Disability was now seen as the result of misfortune or an accident.

Society grew more compassionate and understood that those with disabilities required care and support. The disabled and destitute could still claim poor relief from the parish, and almshouses and workhouses offered basic provisions for those who could not earn a living. Individuals supported the poor and disabled through charity work as part of their civic and Christian duty.

The Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury was one of many institutions that taught blind children to play musical instruments. This meant that blind musicians were common.

Nineteenth Century

Unfortunately, this sympathetic attitude towards the disabled did not continue. Rigorous labour was revered during the Industrial Revolution. Attitudes towards the disabled (and anyone who could not work to support themselves) hardened.

The 1834 Poor Law Act saw the number of workhouses increase, but they were punitive and not intended to be pleasant and supportive. The new system sent the message that if you could not support yourself, society did not value you.