One must understand the past to understand the future when looking at disability in our society today. A century ago, deaf and blind people had been viewed as being in an animalistic state and not possess the dignity of a man. This is not radical for the time period. Up until the mid to late eighteenth century, deaf or blind people were unable to inherit property, get married, receive an education and obtain adequate work. This group was denied fundamental human rights. The deaf and blind were given no access to schooling and unable to learn to speak, (hence the term "deaf and dumb"), or to communicate through sign language. This has perpetuated a misunderstanding of how we perceive this culture. There are many different viewpoints, and the issues today are similar to groups related to race, color and sexual orientation. Some still today stereotype this community as less than, inferior and stigmatized, while others see them in having their own identity, strong, able and independent. Helen Keller was one of the first to expose a different view to able bodied people. .
Writers such as Harlan Lane and Slackjaw point out that disabled people see themselves as having their own being, language and culture, while Simi Linton points out terms used by the able bodied to describe the disabled see themselves differently than the world around them. Alexander Graham Bell, although an advocate for the deaf, infringed on the human rights of the disabled, wanted to keep them separated and keep them from having their own language. Other writers such as Helen Keller, Harlan Lane, Olive Sacks and Mark Twain believe in empowerment of disabled people and inclusion of in mainstream society. These authors believe that they should not be devalued as people. They feel that they should have the opportunity to utilize their inner strength to engage with the outside world, achieve personal goals and be self- sufficient.