Historically, segregation and social isolation have been
recurring responses to people considered defective or deficient in
some way. And it is in the midst of such a society that special
educator J. David Smith wrote this book, which presents critical
historical and contemporary issues in mental retardation. Told
through gripping vignettes and interwoven with the story of the
life of John Lovelace, a man labeled mentally retarded as a child
then institutionalized and sterilized, this gripping text will make
all readers reconsider not only our social policies and practices,
but also our personal actions, in relation to people with mental
retardation. Topics covered here include an examination of ways
people have been misidentified as having disabilities, then
needlessly warehoused in institutions. Coupled with the tragic
story of John Lovelace, this book is one that will be long
remembered by its readers, and will ideally spur them to action.
This book offers new directions for the field of mental
retardation, including conceptual and terminology changes regarding
intellectual disabilities, and new thinking about the people whose
lives have been altered by the term and the concept.
Insights from parents, friends, teachers, and varied special
education experts are included, as is the strong view of author
Smith, who befriended Lovelace. He was often ignored, regularly
avoided and treated as less than a person, as invisible, explains
Smith. And Lovelace is the metaphorical island to which each
chapter here returns, a vivid example of the denial of freedom and
dignity to people who bear an intellectually inferior label. In the
end, we see how society can promote values that inspire and
challenge us to create humane and just treatment for all, or we can
just look the other way when facing disturbing human needs.
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