The Historic American Buildings (HABS) collection holds many hundreds (thousands?) of images of institutions from disability history. Searches for a state name and terms, including: "Deaf," "blind," "hospital," "asylum," "veteran," and "school" will pull up photos of the state schools and hospitals built in every state across the 19th and 20th centuries as well as veterans' homes and hospitals. 

While it is people, not buildings, that must keep the focus of disability history, these institutions played an enormous role in the lives of millions of Americans. The stories of the different types of institutions diverge widely: for instance, schools for the Deaf fostered a language community and culture that thrives today, while schools for people with intellectual disabilities became, by mid-20th century, the scenes of vast and terrible abuse and suffering. Yet in all cases, there are also stories of leadership and perseverance by people with disabilities. 

Lessons on the Founding of Schools and Asylums, from the free curriculum Reform to Equal Rights: K-12 Disability History Curriculum provides students with background and direction to research the history of the institutions in their states and communities. The unit, The Long Struggle for Disability Rights and other lessons, feature stories of disabled leaders who helped to close many of these institutions and to transform the experiences of people with disabilities. (Emerging America created this curriculum with support from a Library of Congress TPS grant.) 

  Social Studies/History    Special Education    Vocational/Technical Training    Disability    Disability History    Inclusion    Research