HOW HISTORICAL SOCIAL ATTITUDES HAVE SHAPED INCLUSION AND STIGMA OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

This paper proposes a critical analysis of historical social attitudes toward people with disabilities and the effects of these stances on the development of inclusive or exclusionary practices.Through a review of legal frameworks, social movements, and contemporary theoretical frameworks, the paper discusses how stigma and exclusion have been gradually replaced by concepts based on human rights, accessibility, and equity. Understanding this historical trajectory is essential to inform effective public policies and transform exclusionary paradigms still prevalent in educational and social life.