Today, November 11th, is Veteran’s Day, the anniversary of the end of World War I. Following World War I many injured and disabled soldiers returned home to the United States and Europe. During this time programs of rehabilitation were established giving disabled veterans long-term care and vocational rehabilitation so that they may return to work. These programs are the first example of widespread rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities, and created a societal understanding of how to work with people with physical disabilities.
Reference:
Bonfiglioli Stagni, S., Tomba, P., Viganò, A., Zati, A., & Benedetti, M. G. (2015). The first world war drives rehabilitation toward the modern concepts of disability and participation. European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 51(3), 331–336. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25941048/.