This includes approximately 40,000 individuals with developmental disabilities. A disproportionate number of young children with mental and physical disabilities have adolescent parents who are more likely to live below the poverty level and their children to have high rates of illness and mortality. In 1998, the Mississippi public schools served 6,003 preschool children with disabilities. The number of children receiving Social Security in Mississippi is double the Southeastern average and triple the national average. It is estimated that 85 percent of youth with disabilities exiting Mississippi public schools remain unemployed or underemployed.
Family support means different things to different families.
Most children with disabilities live at home with their families. Every family has unique needs, capabilities, and preferences, but families of children with disabilities often find the ordinary challenges faced by typical families can become extraordinary when providing support to a child with disabilities at home. Family support programs make use of structured services and supports, as well as informal or natural supports from friends, neighbors, extended family, or community members. The idea is to provide whatever it takes for families of children with disabilities to live as much like other families as possible. Family support makes a positive difference in the life of the individual with a disability, as well as the lives of all family members.