ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the vastness of the rich history of the Ottoman Empire, examining disability from all parts of the realm. It deals with disability as portrayed in Anatolia, which encompasses much of modern-day Turkey. For the most part, the care and treatment of disabled people is and was very much connected to social, cultural and economic variables, which in turn were influenced by Islam and Islamic understandings of disability. Scholars of history will note that the Ottoman Empire controlled vast areas of land throughout the Middle East Southeastern Europe and beyond. Miles notes that deaf mutes worked in the Turkish Ottoman court from the 15th to the 20th century in various "confidant" roles and likewise so too did dwarfs, whose primary role was one of entertainer. The sign language that developed in the Ottoman court was transferred to the broader society from generation to generation, and over the course of time had spread throughout the Ottoman Empire.
