DISABILITY HISTORY: THE STORY OF WHY YOUR JOB MAKES A DIFFERENCE

The Indiana Disability History Project offers this self-paced online training for direct support professionals (DSPs). The 45-minute training provides a brief introduction to the historical experience of Hoosiers with disabilities, connecting this legacy to the work of DSPs today. Each of three 15-minute sections includes video excerpts and is followed by several review questions in quiz format.

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Introduction and Part One
HOOSIERS WITH DISABILITIES IN INSTITUTIONS: A DARK PAST

Beginning of Indiana institutions for people with disabilities in the 19th century
U.S. “Eugenics” movement that led to Indiana laws permitting forced sterilization of people with disabilities
Limited choices for parents who institutionalized their children before community supports were available
Daily life for individuals who were institutionalized, including abusive treatment and lack of autonomy

Part Two
FROM BEHIND WALLS INTO THE COMMUNITY: AN END AND NEW BEGINNINGS

Origins of community services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) in parent organizations of the 1950s and federal policies of the 1960s
Key federal legislation advancing civil rights of people with disabilities in the 1970s and beyond
Changing approaches to community supports
Closure of Indiana’s state institutions for people with IDD

Part Three
YOUR ROLE IN SAFEGUARDING AND ADVANCING HISTORY’S PROGRESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Deinstitutionalization and the changing role of the direct support professional
Indiana’s apology for the forced sterilization of Hoosiers with disabilities (2007)
Continued barriers for people with disabilities and ongoing struggle for civil rights
The impact of your work as a DSP on the lives of people with disabilities

Produced with support from the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities.

Indiana Disability History: Why Your Job as a DSP Makes a Difference