A History of Human Services,
Universal Lessons, and Future Implications
Presented by Wolf Wolfensberger, Ph.D. and Susan Thomas, Training Coordinator

This two-day lecture was given September 1998 at Millersville University, Lyte Auditorium, Millersville, PA.

A Gallery of Images from the Presentation
Complete Credits for the Presentation
Biographical Information on Dr. Wolfensberger
 Biographical Information on Susan Thomas
Letter of Appreciation from Dr. Wolfensberger
Letter of Appreciation from Thomas Neuville, PhD

"No one in the Twentieth Century has had such a profound impact on the language, content, imagery, integrity, cadre training efforts or literature in the field of developmental disabilities as Wolf Wolfensberger. It can be said that, given this monumental contribution, mediated through hundreds, and thousands, of human service workers whose efforts and perspectives have been shaped by his direct and indirect teaching, the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of different people, have been transformed. Not a small endowment. In fact, if there were a Nobel Prize to be given in 'Human Services' or 'Societal Values', Wolf would be on the very short list for that recognition."
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        William Bronston, MD

Wolf Wolfensberger
Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger

 
©2009 Wolf Wolfensberger
Unauthorized use and/or
duplication is prohibited.
  Day 1: An Interpreted Pictorial Presentation on the History of Human Services
With Emphasis on the Origins of Some of Our Major Contemporary Service Patterns and Some Universal Lessons for Planning and Structuring of Services Which Can Be Learned from This History.
1a Pre and Post Greco-Roman Times (26:33)
1b Early Christianity and the Middle Ages (28:03)
2a Medieval Hospice and Hospital Design (32:01)
2b The "Menacization" of the Afflicted (10:35)
2c The Rise of Pauperism (29:42)
3a Deportation and Exile (16:28)
3b Containment and Confinement (15:47)
4a Degradation and Elimination of the Altar (11:46)
4b The Panopticon and Central Observation Stations (28:11)
5a Service "Deculturation" and Moral Treatment (17:09)
5b "Menacization" Images and Associations with Leprosy and Contagion (23:58)
6a The Association of Hospices with Houses of Detention (13:43)
6b Various Beliefs That Played a Role in Menacization (4:59)
6c Human Service Assumptions Based in Materialism (14:18)
6d Further Menacization Through "Treatments" Based on Punishments (31:23)
6e Regimentation and the Use of Military Imagery (17:07)
7a Historical Lines of Influence in the Perversion of Western Human Services (14:51)
7b Some Core Realities, Strategies and Defining Characteristics of Contemporary
Services (31:21)
7c Some Conclusions (10:53)
  Day 2: Reflections on a Lifetime in Human Services
From Prior to the Reforms of the 1950s-70s to the Present, with Implications for the Future: What Has Gotten Better, What Has Gotten Worse, What Is the Same, and What Lies Ahead.
1 The Bad Old Days, Part One (23:48)
2a The Bad Old Days, Part Two: The Institutional Scene 1 (33:06)
2b The Bad Old Days, Part Two: The Institutional Scene 2 (15:59)
3 The Bad Old Days, Part Three: The Educational Scene (19:54)
4a What Has Gotten Better, Part One (27:39)
4b What Has Gotten Better, Part Two: Normalization (12:53)
4c What Has Gotten Better, Part Three: The Rights Movement (5:55)
4d What Has Gotten Better, Part Four: Summary of Positive Developments (17:53)
5 What is Still the Same, New Problems That Have Arisen, and Things That Have Gotten Worse: Part One (12:30)
6a What is Still the Same, New Problems That Have Arisen, and Things That Have Gotten Worse: Part Two (31:18)
6b What is Still the Same, New Problems That Have Arisen, and Things That Have Gotten Worse: Part Three (23:27)
6c A Few Action Implications (8:19)
  (Total Running Time All Segments: 10 Hours 9 Minutes)