A Forgotten Population: Seniors with Developmental Disabilities

During the 1950s, people who had a disability had two options of housing which included living with their families or living in an institution. However, families did not receive much support since most public welfare services were used towards institutional care, such as mental hospitals and orphanages. Throughout the 1960s there were movements to deinstitutionalize, which at that time basically led to smaller institutions. The 1970s allowed for even smaller community-based residential services that were typically designed for not more than 12 people that were similar in terms of age, independence, or ability. Even though different funding was available, many standards were violated in most of the institutions. Throughout the 70s there were movements to close state institutions and provide more community residential services as well as family support. During the 1980s groundwork for families was laid to expand their control of the nature of the support they received and more options were available to help out with living outside an institution. People with developmental disabilities began to gain increased support to having homes of their own during the 1990s and funded had dramatically increased to over $735 for family support programs in 1998. In 2001 the federal government began a new freedom initiative to “remove barriers to community living for people of all ages with disabilities and long-term illness.” In 2011 the decision that the isolation of people with

In the United States today, there are over fifty-one million disabled adults and children. Throughout our nation’s history, we have not allowed the best treatment and care for these numerous citizens. But, in the recent past, the government has passed laws, made exceptions, and thoroughly tried to provide accommodations to these people with special needs. While this is true, America, as a whole, still views this group as strange or different. Even though this is exceptionally normal, it is not correct. The United States needs to be opened up to the truth about their fellow American citizens. The people of America ought to understand that these disabilities affect not only those who are disabled, but that it affects the family and friends

People with disabilities have not been treated fairly in the past. I believe that that those with disabilities have been treated worse than the elderly. They were not allowed to go to school with the normal kids; they were not allowed to work at most jobs. They were teased and made fun of, sometimes there were rejected by their own families. When they were in the mental hospitals they were treated very harsh, they sometimes had to go through shock therapy. Even though they are different types of disabilities, if was something that was noticeable you were treated different, as if you did not belong.

Individuals with disabilities continually encounter various forms of discrimination, including intentional exclusion from certain work areas, that denies them the opportunity to compete on an equal basis and to pursue those opportunities that guarantees success in the society. To guarantee success there is expectation regarding the relationship between the employer and employee, giving close attention to the various factors that should be considered to make the person with disability successful. This paper outlines the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the terms and conditions covering employees and employers as stated in Title 1. Title 1, as amended by the ADA amendment 2008, states that no covered entity will discriminate against a qualified individual based on disability (EEOC, 2015).

Individuals with disability have had a long history of maltreatment in America. From being thought of as possessed individuals in need of exorcism, targeted for heinous experiments, unknowingly sterilized, being labeled imbecile, feeble minded, and retarded, to being shipped off to state schools or mental asylums, those with disabilities were given no consideration as a valuable and able to contribute member of society. In a speech to congress, Frank Bowe, a highly educated deaf-man highlighted this claim by stating, “we are not even second-class citizens, we are third-class citizens” (Bowe, F. 1977--need citation), and Jim Cherry (2001) furthered the ideal in his words, that prior to “1970 we [disabled citizens] had no right to education, to employment, to transportation, to housing, or to voting. There were no civil rights laws for us, no federal advocacy grants. Few people looked beyond our medical needs” (Cherry, J.L, 2001 http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/0701/0701cov.htm). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 attempted to fundamentally change how disabled people were reguarded.

Americans with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the United States. Approximately fifty million people in the United States live with physical or mental handicaps. This minority group is unique in that it is made up of people from all socioeconomic classes, genders and races. Mental and physical impairments do not discriminate. As with other minorities, Americans with disabilities face unique challenges and discriminatory behaviors. For centuries, disabled people had to battle irrational fears and stereotypes due to the lack of medical understanding. The first demand for equal treatment for disabled people came in the 1960s. The struggle for disability rights has followed a similar pattern to many other civil rights movements – first negative stereotypes must be challenged, followed rallying for political and institutional change and lobbying for the self-determination of a minority community. As a result the examples of the African American civil rights and women’s rights movements encouraged the disability rights movement, and after decades of campaigning and lobbying, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990.

According to an overview of the Americans with Disabilities acts, "The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities "(2015). What this means is someone who has a serious disability such as being in a wheelchair or cannot see will not be judged or turned down from a job. Also, according to “The Rehabilitation Act and ADA Connection”, Section 504 ADA fought for people in regards of the possibility of being discriminated against where section 504 did not put their focus towards that part of the issue. (2009).

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990 to help prevent discrimination against those with disabilities. Part of preventing discrimination was ensuring that people with mobility issues have equal access to most buildings that are visited by or that rent to the public. Most hotels, apartment complexes, restaurants, grocery stores, shopping malls, retailers and sports complexes must comply with the provisions of the ADA, and the law applies to virtually all public buildings as well.

The challenges we face with access of care can extremely discriminate and damaging to individuals, families, and communities. Barriers of accommodation, availability, accessibility and acceptability are obstructions that need to be demolished. 28% of insured people with disabilities reported needing particular therapies, equipment or medications that were not covered by their health plans, compared to 7 percent of those without disabilities (N.O.D, 2000). Enforcement efforts recently have failed to bring a need change to the healthcare access for disable people. Regardless of their disability, they should have access to affordable, comprehensive, and adaptive

As the American political landscape continued its transformation from generation to generation, the focus of the era was on the best possible implementation of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the interpretation of its language. This focus became a clear codified interpretation in 1990, following the same strain of thoughts as the Civil Rights Act of the 1960’s, advocates of the disabled community lobbied for the equal protections that had been previously granted to racial minorities. In subsequent acts, the disabled constituency had gained protections in 1973 with the amendment of the Fair Housing Act and again in 1988 with the Rehabilitation Act. The final step for equal protections came in 1990 under the 101st

“ Approximately 80 percent of Illinois long-term care dollars are allocated towards institutional care as compared to 20 percent for community-based care.” As the site points out, the state could save 648,641,000.00 by moving residents of institutional living and providing them with homes people in which they could live. Which would be a great thing and perhaps Illinois would have more money to implement other programs to help individuals with disabilities and mental health issues. Maybe these funds could by used to build homes and communities that serve the disabled population. Individual housing may not be accessible or affordable for people with disabilities as most rely on SSI income to support themselves. Therefore, advocacy for policy change is needed for people with disabilities when it comes long-term care services. I feel that the Olmstead decision is a significant accomplishment in regards to preventing discrimination against people with disabilities. This act helps open the door the people living with disabilities to achieve empowerment and to live freely in our

All they want is to take part of society as a normal individual. The disability-movement has fought for the disabilities rights throughout the years and has achieved goals such as accommodation of architectural infrastructures to serve better people who are physical impairments. The public policies have been great accomplishments because it has helped people with disabilities to be part of society. The disability-movement points out the healthcare finance policies have taken freedom away from the disability community, “ Health-care financing policies force disabled people into Institutions and nursing homes rather than funding independent living. Income-maintenance and public health-insurance policies include “disincentives” that penalize disabled individuals for trying to work productively.”(p.4). The government has done a great job on protecting disabled individuals’ rights. However, the health-care system has isolated this group even more by restricting the level of productivity that they have within the system, as a result this medical model marginalizes this group of people and this program available for this community does not fully address their issues.

The ACS estimates that almost 38 percent of New Yorkers aged 65 and over have at least one type of disability. With the rapid population growth of New York City, the population of people with disabilities is also growing. “Approximately 45 percent of the city’s seniors with disabilities live within the 1 percent annual chance floodplain in communities such as the Rockaways, Coney Island, and Brighton Beach. Some of the city’s hospitals, senior centers, nursing homes, and assisted care facilities are located within the floodplain” (NYC's Risk Landscape: A Guide to Hazard Mitigation,

Why is it acceptable to have a group of citizens in our society kept from their freedom? Disabled Americans are often restricted from liberty and equality due to the fact that our urban environments are frequently structured in ways that make it difficult for handicapped individuals to utilize. America needs to do more to aide the needs of the 19% of the population who are disabled. Harlan Hahn, a professor in the department of political science, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA cites in his article “Disability And The Urban Environment” how a disabled American is looked on as a minority group and kept unable to interact in the urban environment . Hahn’s main focus is the disadvantage of the disabled in the city of Los angeles throughout the article. I have made an observation about the City of Philadelphia and from my perspective the architectural configurations are not designed to benefit the needs of the disabled.

“For purposes of nondiscrimination laws (e.g. the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act), a person with a disability is generally defined as someone who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more "major life activities," (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an