WILSON, N.C. – September 16, 2025 — Barton College is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Monteith, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Elon University, as the featured speaker for the 2025 Allan R. Sharp Religion in Life Series on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 5:30 p.m. in Howard Chapel. His lecture, titled “State Secrets: The Forgotten History of Disability Segregation in America,” is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.
Americans’ attitudes toward disability have shifted dramatically over time. A century ago, disability was often considered evidence of hereditary immorality. Particularly in the case of cognitive disabilities, individuals were stigmatized as exhibiting “the stigmata of degeneracy”—a concept once regarded as both medically and morally real. Medical experts, criminologists, and religious authorities promoted the segregation of the disabled into special institutions, including remote “epileptic colonies,” where states confined individuals under the belief that they posed a threat to society.
In this lecture, Dr. Monteith will share his research on this largely forgotten history of disability segregation in the United States, exploring how medicine, morality, and religion intersected to shape public policy and social attitudes.
The Allan R. Sharp Religion in Life Series is one of six signature programs within the Barton Forum Lecture Series, Barton College’s unified platform for dynamic dialogue across religion, history, literature, and the arts. Established in 1991 to honor Dr. Allan R. Sharp, professor emeritus of religion and philosophy, this endowed lecture continues his legacy by bringing distinguished voices to campus each fall semester.
For additional information, contact Dr. Lydia Walker, Assistant Professor of History and Religion, at [email protected] or (252) 399-6440.
END