Childhood Disability in the Civil War Era

[CL Preston]

Hello,

So not only am I a newbie to this forum, but I am a newbie to this hobby as well. My family and I are looking to get involved in progressive events starting in the spring, which will hopefully give us time to put together decent civilian impressions. There is one aspect we have to deal with that I could use a little assistance with, however.

We have a young daughter who has a mobility impairment. There are other issues with her body, but the most obvious is that she wears leg braces and walks with a "hitch in her giddyup", as her physical therapist calls it. I think we can adapt an old pair of braces to make them either unseen or at least period-looking, but what I am having a harder time with is figuring out what sort of...well, attitude people around her might have had towards her issues.

My first thought was that people would assume she would never be married and might be a "burden" to us. However, some past reading about the general level of health in 19th century leads me to believe that, generally, people may have been more forgiving because there were an awful lot of people in generally not-so-great health around too. I also don't know whether or not she would have been sent to school (she'll be seven by the time we break out this act in public).

I've found plenty of scholarly treatises about the history of disability, but not so much regarding day-to-day lives of people with such physical differences. I have only just begun researching, really, but was hoping someone here might have some suggestions as to where I might look for more guidance, or have some examples. I am well aware that time/place/class will have a lot to do with reactions, just the same as today. We will be portraying a family from the Upper Midwest, if that helps.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Childhood Disability in the Civil War Era

This is a family anecdote, so I wouldn't be comfortable extrapolating it to a wide population or overall societal view, but one branch of the family was in Michigan before the war started; one of the late teens/early 20s sons became blind, and lived at home for the rest of his adult life. However, he held employment in the same small broom factory as several of his siblings, and was gainfully employed in that trade and a few others during his life. We do not know the full extent of his visual impairment, as he was only described as "blind", and he did not choose to marry (same as a few of his siblings), but he was a productive member of the household economy.

I think your strategy of using medical mobility devices that are as unobtrusive as possible (while meeting her medical needs) is a good way to go. I've known families with members who used a wheelchair, who restored a historic wheelchair for their loved on to use; others who chose events where the loved one could be fairly non-mobile and still participate in the event scenario. Could her brace needs be met by a clever harness-maker in the period?

Even if your daughter could not have traveled by foot to school, if the family had a spare horse or mule, she could ride along with siblings or neighbors daily. If that, too, was not a good option for the family, she could be learning at home with Mother and Father, taught directly by them or by another family member, or by a hired tutor or private teacher, so educationally, she could be fully integrated into her society during the era. Private tutoring and such were fairly common, between those families needing to accommodate medical realities, and those establishing lives in frontier areas that did not have education established at first.

My general sense of the era is not that it's necessarily more accepting of physical differences (because there were persnickety folks then, too), but that some segments of society were willing to look beyond a person's limitations, and maximize their other skills. If a child cannot run completely free, they can learn to do chores and gain skills in areas where their challenges will not be a huge factor.

I'd encourage you to keep looking... What about reading biographies of people like Alexander Graham Bell (and his immediate forefathers)... their family was involved with deaf education quite extensively. Alexander Bell's future wife, Maude Hubbard, was rendered deaf as a child, and it certainly didn't slow her down in life. :) Laura Bridgman is right in our era, and is another instance of a person with a significant impairment. Finding instances of mobility challenges will be fairly difficult, I think... simply because it may not be mentioned as a detriment! If a person did need a leg brace, or a crutch, or walk with a hitch in their giddy-up, and that was not a significant factor in their living skills and abilities, it may not be noted. With my blind grand-uncle, his visual impairment was only mentioned on census forms; nowhere did it appear as a "problem" in family letters or journals!

Good for you in pursuing the research. It's worthwhile, and can lead to a lot of cool opportunities for your family.

[Trish Hasenmueller]

Re: Childhood Disability in the Civil War Era

Last December there was a discussion about this very subject on Elizabeth Stewart Clark's Sewing Academy at Home. You will find several different opinions on modern/reenactor/period attitudes toward handling disabilities. Other than that: What Elizabeth said! Here's a link: http://thesewingacademy.org/index.php?topic=6001.0

Trish Hasenmueller

[Loudoun Lady]

Re: Childhood Disability in the Civil War Era

In Catherine Barbara Broun's diary, she writes of her son's disability. Broun lived in Loudoun County, Virginia. At the age of 5, Kinzie (his nickname) had a very painful hip after suffering from an illness with a high fever and eventually could not bear weight on the leg. At first he used crutches to get around, but as he grew older he progressed to driving a dog cart, then pony cart around town and farm. Broun's diary is available on line at the Fondren Library at Rice University. It would be wonderful to see your daughter at a re-enactment driving a dog cart - and I'm sure quite a few of us would be envious!

Karen Quanbeck

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Childhood Disability in the Civil War Era

You know...I may get smacked for saying this because part of it is modern...but a dog cart might be a good idea on two accounts:
First, of course, it would be period-correct and a neat solution to her reenacting needs.
Second, Happy Canine Helpers, for one, train rescues (not purpose-bred dogs!) as service dogs for any number of disabilities. If she could get a dog big enough to pull her along for some time to come, she could save a dog, have part of her reenacting kit AND have a service dog who could help her when she goes to school. Generally, that would include picking up dropped items for her, getting doors if her hands are full or she has to use crutches, helping her up stairs or helping her get up after a fall (HCH's dogs wear a harness with a handle for that purpose), and carrying her books and other stuff in a backpack so she doesn't have to.

On a side note, I'm glad she's going to join in just in time for all the 150th events!

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Childhood Disability in the Civil War Era

Differently- abled means just that. She should be able to do anything girls her age can do, but possibly a bit differently. How a person of her particular circumstances would have been dealt with in period would depend greatly on those people close to her and their reactions, also on how she views her differences. (same as it is today)

I, myself, am differently-abled. It is a genetic condition, so my family has "always" dealt with the issue with one family member or another. They follow the advances more closely because of it. They treat me and other family members as "normal" because of it. The family quickly tells strangers the issue and how to "deal with it". Teachers and schoolmates learned quickly how I reacted to references to my issue and how to deal with it. AND if I didn't tell you there was an issue, you wouldn't be able to tell... much. In period, with the help of family, I probably would have been able to become a happy, healthy (for the time), and quite productive adult.

She can be the same. If schooling were available to the children of the area, she would find a way to be included. She would learn quickly which games and physical activities she can participate in with modification and which she needs to sit out. I'm fairly sure you will find (perhaps to your horror or dismay) that her new-found friends will get highly creative in finding ways to include her around her challenges. The family would learn which chores she can accomplish and how to modify others so she can do them. Moving basins from counters to tables she can sit at allows her to help with food preparation or washing dishes. Reading, sewing, crafting, etc. everyone sits to do. It is much the same as you have adapted in your own home in modern life. And just like in modern life, everyone she interacts with will have a different reaction and opinion.

Each person who re-enacts gives the tapestry of our hobby a unique and special thread that adds to the beauty of the whole picture. Differently-abled persons happened then and should not be excluded from appearing at appropriate events now.