The Dispatch
It hasn’t been that long ago since people with developmental or intellectual disabilities were locked in institutions and defined by negative stereotypes.
Since the Disabilities Rights Movement in the 1970s, much improvement has been made in how these citizens are educated and included with the rest of the community, but there is still a tinge of “nanny-ism” when it comes to how they are treated by caregivers.
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They may have someone who will buy groceries, help them take a bath, or run errands. There are programs they can go to and have structured activities, where they are told where to go and what to do. But very few people with developmental or intellectual disabilities are included in the decision of what kind of care they receive or what they want their lives to be like.