Özet:

Despite the accelerated increase in special education research in our country in the recent years, when compared with developed countries these studies are not at the desired level. This study is intended to provide an idea about etymology of the concepts of disability to researchers who are working or aims to work in the field of special education. The study gives brief description about reason of “otherness” perception and attempts to explain in what reason, why and in which way the disable individuals are perceived as “otherness” based on the model defining the disability. Especially the main reasons of exclusion of disable individuals from society at post-capitalist and pre-capitalist periods will be examined from the perspective of economic structure. By taking into account changes in the economic system, the study also analyses reasons underlying the different approaches to disability in feudal-patriarchal era and capitalist era.