History Quiz: Test Your Disability 101 Knowledge

By Patricia Fabian, The Threshold Inc.

Patricia is the Director of Long Term Support at The Threshold, Inc. in West Bend and recently presented the Disabilitiy 101 seminar as part of RFW's Professional Development series. Some of the terminology reflects the time period. In the next Scoop, Patricia will provide the answers to this quiz and put things into historical perspective.

1. "Ship of Fools" – a term from the middle ages refers to:
   1. A boat full of Court Jesters
   2. How a town clears a village of all its idiots
   3. A boat full of the English dessert called a "fool"
   4. None of the above
2. In Wisconsin the decade between 1850 and 1860 saw state facilities being built for all but one of the groups listed below: (choose the one NOT to have a facility)
   1. Blind
   2. Deaf
   3. Insane
   4. Feebleminded
   5. Delinquent Boys
3. The State Schools for the Blind/Deaf and the Mendota Insane Asylum all had provisions which prevented anyone with "feeblemindedness" from being admitted?
   • True
   • False
4. The following quotes are from a report dated _______ in ______.
   • "Some of the insane are lying on a heap of straw, rolled in a blanket..."
   • "An idiotic man is chained in the yard..."
   • "An insane man is kept in a cage, on a heap of straw, in a state of nudity..."
   • "He is kept in the basement in the winter, with no light or ventilation..."
   1. 1378/ England
   2. 1598/ Germany
   3. 1725/ New York
   4. 1871/ Wisconsin
5. The following quotes are from a report dated ________ in _______.
   • "During the day shift 2 attendants cared for 143 residents..."
   • "Bathroom facilities at ________ consisted of open trenches..."
   • "15 attendants were dismissed for corporal punishment of residents, 4 of whom were convicted of manslaughter..."
   • "27 attendants were discharged for mistreating residents..."
   1. 1725/New York
   2. 1934/Wisconsin
   3. 1825/Massachusettes
   4. 1903/Wisconsin
6. The governor of the state of Wisconsin made a proposal to the state legislature citing the need to provide care and attention to those in the state that were "feebleminded" in 1867. What year was the first facility built?
   1. 1871
   2. 1876
   3. 1885
   4. 1895
7. What was the "driving force" behind the state taking action to build these facilities?
   1. Christian charity/philanthropy
   2. Fear of being over run by 'hereditary defectives'
   3. Recognition of the success of such places in states on the east coast
   4. Refusal of the other state schools (blind/deaf) to allow admission
8. In ________ Dr. Leslie Osborne proposed the creation of the "Research Group", those individuals who can not be trained or educated but can be used to find out why they came into this world.
   1. 1953/Wisconsin
   2. 1935/Germany
   3. 1897/Wisconsin
   4. 1924/Germany
9. Match the correct medical diagnosis term to the correct IQ range:
   1. Idiot
   2. Moron
   3. Imbecile
      1. IQ 25 – 49
      2. IQ 50 – 69
      3. IQ below 25
10. What year ____ did Wisconsin pass its law stating all students age 3 – 21 are entitled to a free public education and what year_____ did Wisconsin start following that law?
    1. 1902 / 1918
    2. 1915 / 1919
    3. 1973 / 1975
    4. 1910 / 1920

| Back to Top |