The Industrial Revolution traditionally has been seen in Disability Studies as marking a decisive shift in the lives of disabled people. It is argued that the rise of mechanisation, time discipline and standardisation made the industrial workplace a hostile environment for people with non-standard bodies. According to this view, increasing demands to work outside the home also meant that families were less capable of caring for older and disabled members, leading to greater institutionalisation. This view of increasing segregation of disabled people from home and work has dominated understanding of disability in the British Industrial Revolution, but it does not reflect the variability of disabled people's experiences at the time. Drawing on official enquiries, fictional literature, journalism and social commentary from the 1830s and 1840s – a time when the impact of industrialisation on the bodies and family relationships of workers became matters of public, political concern – this article shows the continuing importance of family in the lives of disabled people. The legal duty of families to care for sick and disabled relatives was an enduring social principle throughout this period. Interpersonal relations were tested and sometimes re-drawn by disability, forcing a change in traditional familial roles and expectations. For working people and their families, the potentials for poverty resulting from disability could be great. However, disabled people continued to play significant roles in the lives of their families, and where possible continued to contribute to the domestic economy. Taking a disability perspective on the history of the family highlights the interdependence between family members in industrialising Britain.

中文翻译：

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重新定义家庭关系：英国工业革命期间残疾对工人阶级家庭的影响


传统上，工业革命在残疾研究中被视为标志着残疾人生活的决定性转变。有人认为，机械化、时间纪律和标准化的兴起使工业工作场所成为对非标准身体的人来说的敌对环境。根据这种观点，外出工作的需求增加也意味着家庭照顾老年人和残疾人的能力较差，从而导致更大的机构化。这种将残疾人与家庭和工作日益隔离的观点主导了英国工业革命中对残疾的理解，但它并没有反映当时残疾人经历的可变性。本文借鉴了 1830 年代和 1840 年代的官方调查、虚构文学、新闻和社会评论——当时工业化对工人的身体和家庭关系的影响成为公众和政治关注的问题——展示了家庭在残疾人生活中的持续重要性。家庭照顾生病和残疾亲属的法律义务是这一时期持久的社会原则。人际关系受到考验，有时因残疾而重新绘制，迫使传统的家庭角色和期望发生变化。对于劳动人民及其家庭来说，残疾导致贫困的可能性可能很大。然而，残疾人继续在他们的家庭生活中发挥着重要作用，并在可能的情况下继续为国内经济做出贡献。从残疾角度看待家庭历史突出了英国工业化进程中家庭成员之间的相互依存关系。