Brothers of Charity and the History of Special Education

Brothers of Charity have contributed to the development of the “Care for persons with disabilities”.“Charity in Action, 200 hundred years Brothers of Charity” (link no longer active) by René Stockman provides insights.

History and various cultures show a bleak destiny for persons with disabilities. Often it meant being ostracized from society. In ancient times, the Greek and Romans withheld legal rights from a disabled child. In Sparta, these children were subjected to a test of survival. In the Roman Empire, the head of the family had the right to kill his disabled child.