In the US, the general trend is to encourage/allow developmentally disabled adults (or mentally retarded adults if you prefer the term) to live in smaller, less-restrictive settings (and out of the institutions that were the norm for so many decades). These settings range from smallish groups homes (16-beds and 8-beds seem to be the norm in central Illinois) to private apartments. Of course, there will be variations by state and even within states.
I’m curious - is this the general trend outside the US as well?
In the city in Bavaria, Germany, where I come from, there are several private and semi-public institutions to support developmentally disabled people. They still have and operate the large residences built in previous decades, but in the past few years they bought a number of houses to set up group homes; actually, I believe they have become the largest real estate buyers in the city. So, I’d venture to say that at least here there definitely is a trend away from the large institutions towards autonomous groups.
I think we call them ‘people with learning disabilities’ (UK), but in answer to your question, yes. My brother was institutionalised from birth (45 years ago) but moved into what we’d call ‘sheltered accomodation’ about 20 years ago (i.e. a house with a number of carers on site). this seems to be pretty much the norm nowadays.
Same situation in the UK. Large institutions have closed and and the residents placed in smaller units - self caring to whatever extent is possible. Not always with happy results. A severely retarded cousin (his mother had rubella before he was born), having lived in hospitals for practically his whole life, was placed in a sheltered flat with others in a similar condition. It was a disaster - he hated it and it destroyed his peace of mind, making him aggressive and destructive.
Australia has followed the general trend too. For the last twenty or so years, “community care” has been in vogue for both the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. Asylums and other institutions have a much smaller role these days.
The success or otherwise of this policy is hotly debated.
Really? In the US learning disabled refers to things fairly mild like dyslexia or dyscalculia.
So far we’ve only heard from rich western countries. What about South America Asia or Eastern Europe?
What is really scary here is you never, ever, see mentally-retarded* person here. Where are they? How are they cared for? Further, you darn rarely see a person in a wheelchair in public. The whole place is handicapped-surly. Thank goodness for the ADA.
On the other hand I do have a co-worker who is deaf* and another who is crippled with some birth defect.*
*I bet I am using some un-PC words. Sorry, not my intent to offend.
In Cameroon, if you are truly crazy (schizophrenic, etc.) you are left to roam the streets. Usually the community kind of looks out for you and somebody probably feeds you, but other than that you are on your own.
If you are not all there but also not ranting and raving, you will stay in the fold of your family. Since a family compound can easily have 15-20 people in it, it’s not that hard to accommodate one more. You probably would not live a life too different from any other unmarried person.
If you can function enough to run a household and hold a simple job, you may live a normal life. I lived in a compound with a husband and wife who were “a little crazy.” I know the woman could not read numbers and the man could not speak French (rare for a man in my area.) It was pretty obvious that they weren’t quite up to speed. The man worked carting water around- a job that doesn’t pay much, but pays something and doesn’t require too much thought. People from the community kept their eyes on the kids, but for the most part the family did a fine job and didn’t live a life that different than what you’d find if you were all there.
It all brings to mind some interesting ideas about how “disability” is a social construct. In America, not being able to read probably severely limits your ability to find a mate and a job, but not being able to walk more than a short distance without getting out of breathe probably does not change things too much. But in Cameroon, not being able to ready would not be that big of deal, but a person who could not walk medium distances would probably not be able to be a part of normal society and find a job and a spouse.
I’ve spent a lot of time in developing countries and in a lot of them the disabled are kind of kept out of sight with little regard for their feelings. This goes for all kinds of disabled people.
I had the minister of health of a country tell me that there was no point in trying to solicit the opinions of the physically disabled on what kind of language they would want in a law designed to improve their access to public services because “their disabilities have affected their outlook on life.”
The same is true for the developmentally disabled, they often are institutionalized and forgotten. I worked on a project that required me to visit some centers for the disabled (many types of disability in one builiding) in the former Soviet Union and I can honestly describe it as a hell hole.
One time in Russia, I attended a school talent show with a panel of teachers as judges. The school happened to have a developmentally disabled handy man on staff. One act was a group of kids singing a pop song dressed like they handyman and singing in a stereotypically “retarded” style. The teachers ate it up and gave the act high marks; I don’t think anyone asked the handyman what he thought of it. I can guess.
People with things such as dyslexia would not be defined as such here (UK) - learning disability is now the default term that has replaced ‘mentally handicapped’, and covers a wide degree of impairments, right up to very severe. This site gives you an idea of what the NHS regards as learning disabilities:
http://www.library.nhs.uk/learningdisabilities/
In China, it’s up to the family to take care of the developmentally disabled. It is the early dawn of special ed, early intervention, etc.
When I was in Tibet, I met several developmentally disabled who had become buddhist monks and were an active part of the local monastary. The Monastaries are the central part of most villages, and most families have a close relative that is a monk.