The document provides a historical overview of perceptions and attitudes towards disabilities including mental retardation (MR) from antiquity to the present. It discusses key periods including: antiquity where attitudes varied; the Renaissance period which emphasized human potential; pioneering work by Itard and Seguin in the 1800s using educational techniques; the facilities-based orientation from 1890-1960 where institutions focused on protection and segregation; and the services-based and supports-based orientations from 1960 onward emphasizing community integration, civil rights, and supports.

7. “ the discipline of special education was conceived and born in Europe” Beirne-Smith, Ittenbach, & Patton, 2002