No Offense Intended - A Directory of Historical Disability Terms

The Directory of Historical Disability Terms is the result of museum research into the history of early New York State almshouses, hospitals, institutions, and schools--along with notes of frequently asked questions from visitors to the Museum of disABILITY History in Buffalo, New York. Most of the terms were early practitioners' attempts to clarify and identify the nature and causes of diseases and deviations in human behavior. As you read the directory, it is easily seen that, historically, yesterday's diagnosis can, a few generations later, become negative and enter everyday language.

The Directory was created in response to the need to provide students, museum visitors, and researchers with a glimpse into historic references that are connected to, and associated with, disabilities.