can anyone give me some links to journal articles about the mentally disabled?

Question

Anything about their present life in the United States, how they were treated 100 years ago, or how they are treated in another country. Thanks.

Answer 1

To have an understanding how those with mental disabilities were treated, you should have an understanding of the Medical model;
The aim roughly speaking; was to cure or manage someone with a disability, often treating them as a faulty human being who was isolated, either put into an institution or home where only their basic ordinary human needs were being met, with out consideration or consultation with the person about what they may want or think, and this was type of thinking was typical across the world.

Thank God this type of thinking has changed and still has a some way to go.

I have included a few links which may or may not help. Some you will need to subscribe to access the journals.

Answer 2

You have to be far more specific than that - there are thousands of articles that fit those 3.

ETA:
children, adults or both
life at home, school, work
institutionalized or not
what type of mental disability
which country

There are journals that focus on each of your topics - each with a dozen or so article each time they come out.

There are journals for cerebral palsy (sometime article relate to mental disability), down syndrome, developmental disability, intellectual disability.

Mosts journal do not allow you to access them free online - to do that you need to connect thru a college or library computer.

Answer 3

I can give you first-hand experience as I worked for 20 years with people with disabilities, first as the Recreation Therapist and then supervising State-run treatment homes at the IICF (intermediate care facility). In those 20 years I saw treatment going from "canned" to individualized, from same treatment for all to person first, based on individual preferences, age appropriateness, and dignity & respect issues. I saw people with DD living in an institutional setting to living in the general community with supports that allowed them to have "regular" neighbors, jobs with paychecks, dating, private bedrooms with from one to three housemates, chosing their own schedule, handling with support their own monies, riding the bus to work instead of a large van packed with twelve others, etc.

If you just Google Developmental Disabilities you will find more information that you can read in a year.

Answer 4

The AKC family dog magazine had an article on therapy pets for people with mental illnesses, a few months ago.