How those with disabilities were targeted in the Holocaust 

December 1, 2020

Annual Holocaust Memorial Museum program Patches explores the Holocaust’s lesser-known victims 

The Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio hosted its annual program Patches: Others Deemed Dangerous or Inferior via Zoom webinar on November 15.  Patches, referring to the multiple fabric patches used during the Holocaust to identify groups of people, seeks to educate the public on lesser-known victims targeted by the Nazi regime. This year’s focus was on those with intellectual or physical disabilities. Those with disabilities were seen by the Nazi regime as a burden on German society and a threat to the “Aryan” population.   

 For this event, the Museum partnered with two Texas advocate groups, the San Antonio League of Self-Advocates (SALSA) and Texas Advocates. Both groups advocate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and support the inclusion of people with disabilities in their communities. The museum was joined by James Meadours, president of Texas Advocates, and Judith Laufer, State Advisor of SALSA, who discussed current issues facing those with disabilities in Texas.  

 Additionally, the Museum was joined by Dr. Roger Barnes, the chair of the University of Incarnate Word’s Sociology department.  Dr. Barnes, a longtime supporter and friend of the museum, presented a lecture on the Nazi’s T4 program which targeted those with disabilities. Prior to the event, the audience was encouraged to watch the film Selling Murder: The Killing Films of the Third Reich which is available on YouTube.   

 The Holocaust Memorial Museum is a program of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio. Programs like Patches are provided for the community at no cost through the generous support of museum donors. Donations to the museum help support Holocaust education programs in Texas. For more information, please visit hmmsa.org/donate.

To get involved or find more information about the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, visit www.hmmsa.org or contact Kate McCloud, HMMSA Assistant Director, at mccloudk@jfsatx.org