The Ugly Laws; Disabilities in Public

Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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Cleveland was among many cities in the early 20th century that had laws that criminalized disabilities. They were called "ugly laws." Susan Schweik is a professor of english and disability studies at U.C. Berkeley and the author of "The Ugly Laws, disabilities in public." She says these laws were intended to crack down on pan handlers, but had a devastating effect on the lives of many people. She spoke with ideastream®'s Eric Wellman.