ABSTRACT
Activism has emerged because "the state of equality is threatened by measures of the government". Terug naar de bossen places itself explicitly in the tradition of disability activism as it was developed during the 1970s. But, as was the case 40 years ago, Dutch disability activism is not very strong and does not receive much attention in the media. This chapter explores why this is the case is one of the issues. The history of people with disabilities in the Netherlands that is available to date is dominated by three different perspectives: the history of education, institutional history, and medical history. The view that people with mental disabilities were a danger to society grew in the Netherlands into "common sense" only after First World War. Looking at the trends in the conceptual and practical approaches to disability in the Netherlands, it is apparent that Dutch developments have typically mirrored developments in surrounding countries.
