But if you were different, suffering from a mental disability, you would have been given the professional title of Court Jester or Village Idiot. Society made fun of individuals with intellectual disabilities for being different from the norm, but that's not the worst thing. Carter and VanAndel (2011), leading practitioners in the field of therapeutic recreation, explain the appalling treatment of the mentally disabled during the Middle Ages. These individuals were locked in dank, dark cells within the prison walls, hidden from society, (p. 29) all the while tied to the wall like a wild animal. Even though the times were primitive, the mentally disabled were given little consideration or medical attention. The French doctor Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) did not like the treatment the mentally ill received, so he decided to defend them. He believed that all individuals had the right to live as productive members of society. Carter and VanAndel highlight how Pinel ventured into changing the living conditions of people with intellectual disabilities. (p. 30) Unfortunately, during the Victorian era society felt that demonic possession caused mental illness. In some cases, individuals were killed during the exorcism process. Many years later, individuals with intellectual disabilities were locked up in prisons alongside murderers and thieves. They were treated like common criminals just because they were different. In the following years they were segregated from society and institutionalized. (Carter & VanAndel, 2011, p. 31) Over the years, the treatment of people with mental disabilities has changed. Today in some areas the mentally disabled are still segregated; however, the stigma is still present. They attend schools specifically designed to support their needs and teachers trained to educate people with disabilities. Living conditions did too