What is mankind?

Compared to past ages, we live in an age of relative enlightenment regarding disability and the people affected by it. While there will always be room for improvement, things are much better for them now than in the past.  For example, Americans with disabilities attend school, live independently, work, marry, receive assistance, enjoy the benefits of medicine and technology, and are protected by law from discrimination and exclusion. People with disabilities are appreciated for their contributions to society. Advocacy groups abound, services are available as never before, access to public spaces is assured, and negative attitudes are quickly silenced. Life has not always been so good, and certainly many challenges still exist. Medieval attitudes Once upon a time, fairy tales and legends were used to explain why some children were born with a disability. Folklorist D. L. Ashliman says medieval cultures considered “misshapen” infants, or children who failed to develop, to be demonic...