| Description |
x, 192 pages ; 25 cm |
| Contents |
Introduction. Speaking of Mental Retardation -- Ch. 1. What Are You Going to Do About It? -- Ch. 2. Minimally Decent Samaritans -- Ch. 3. Feebleminded: John Lovelace, Patient #6839 -- Ch. 4. "Patient Is Full Code" -- Ch. 5. Becoming Invisible -- Ch. 6. Broken Ties: "Addressee Unknown" -- Ch. 7. Looking Backward, Looking Forward -- Ch. 8. Headaches, Smoking, and Fights: Leaving the Home -- Ch. 9. Defining Disability Up and Down -- Ch. 10. John Lovelace and the Mercantile Theory of Mental Retardation -- Ch. 11. Darwin's Last Child: Disability, Family, and Friends -- Ch. 12. "Fairview Is Nice to Me" -- Ch. 13. Ethics, Powerlessness, and Informed Consent -- Ch. 14. Blindness and Finding Yourself in Purgatory -- Ch. 15. Policies, People, and No Room at the Graveyard |
| Summary |
"Special educator J. David Smith argues that the label of mental retardation is and has long been a myth with destructive power. His evidence consists of the voices of people whose lives bear the impact of the retardation designation, and who have struggled with the stigma associated with it. Some of the voices are those of fictional characters, their words coming from the insightful observations of acclaimed writers. Others are the words of real people who give voice to struggles with an identity not of their own choosing. In particular, the story of a man named John Lovelace serves as a personification of the meaning mental retardation has had in American society."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [183]-187) and index |
| Subject |
Lovelace, John, 1931-2001.
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People with mental disabilities -- Biography.
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Intellectual disability facilities patients -- Biography.
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People with mental disabilities -- Institutional care.
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| Genre/Form |
Biographies.
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| LC no. |
2008033673 |
| ISBN |
9780313355387 alkaline paper |
|
031335538X alkaline paper |
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