Deaf People in Hitler's Europe

Deaf People in Hitler's Europe is a non-fiction book that is written by Donna F. Ryan and John S. Schuchman.

Summary

The Nazi compaign against the handicapped began on July 14, 1933. It started because of Reichstag of the Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases. The Nazis sterilized people with disabilities such as mental illness, retardation, blindness, and deaf people. The reason for that is because scientists said that it is hereditary and the law says that the only way that it could be treated is by preventing people who had them from bearing children. 375,000 people were sterilized by force and an estimated 17,000 of the people sterilized were deaf. The book tells the story of deaf people during the Holocaust.

Reception

• It was reviewed by Bulletin of the History of Medicine.
• A Review of Disability Studies, An International Journal review says, "Despite some overlaps in information from chapter to chapter, this book is a good source of information about disability and the Holocaust. Anyone who is interested in Deaf Studies, eugenics, Holocaust Studies, the treatment of minority groups, in general, or in disability as a category of Otherness will find this a worthwhile addition to their library".