When these people can't be found, when they are homeless or taken advantage of, when they have committed a crime, all I ask is that you don't blame President George W. Bush. President Reagan took the heat for the homeless in the 1980s, when, in fact, it was President Kennedy who signed the legislation that released them into the mainstream population. At the same time, it described the push and pull between safety and choice. This debate, however, is not about institutions vs. the community. In fact, the norm in the community for those who receive housing services is 24-hour, supervised group homes or staffed apartment settings.
Data overwhelmingly show that people thrive in community settings when supports are adequate.
The self-determination concept is really the next step within our community, recognizing that people with disabilities are adults who have preferences that they should be able to express and realize to the fullest extent possible. Some examples of self-determination include allowing a person to have more control over the staff members who work with him or her, including hiring and firing, and being given choices for work, so that he or she is not stuck in sheltered workshops earning a minimum salary. Maybe some can adjust to having control over services they receive. Parents who keep their mentally disabled adult children at home are parents who love them and want to have them in a loving, family situation. No one knows a child as well as his or her parents.