Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 115 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES › Title 115 CMR 5.00 - Standards To Promote Dignity › Section 5.03 - General Principles

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
To further the Department's goal of promoting the welfare and
				dignity of all persons with intellectual disability and developmental
				disabilities, the Department hereby establishes the following
				principles:
(1) Services and supports
			 are to be designed to provide meaningful assistance to the individual in
			 acquiring and maintaining those physical, mental, and social skills which
			 enable the individual to cope most effectively with the demands of his or her
			 own person and environment.
(2)
			 Residential and day or employment settings are integrated in and support full
			 access of individuals to the greater community, including opportunities to seek
			 employment and work in competitive integrated settings, engage in community
			 life, control personal resources, and receive services in the community, to the
			 same degree of access as other individuals.
(3) Services and supports are to be provided
			 in a manner that promotes:
(a) Human
			 dignity;
(b) Humane and adequate
			 care and treatment;
(c) Self
			 determination and freedom of choice to the individual's fullest
			 capability;
(d) The opportunity to
			 live and receive services or supports in the least restrictive and most typical
			 setting possible;
(e) The
			 opportunity to undergo typical developmental experiences, even though such
			 experiences may entail an element of risk; provided however, that the
			 individual's safety and well-being shall not be unreasonably jeopardized;
			 and
(f) The opportunity to engage
			 in activities and styles of living which encourage and maintain the integration
			 of the individual in the community including:
1. Social interactions in integrated settings
			 typical of the community which maximize the individual's contact with other
			 citizens who live or work in that community;
2. Activities, routines, and patterns of
			 living which are appropriate to the individual's age and the practices of the
			 surrounding community, and which are consistent with his or her interests and
			 capabilities;
3. Communication by
			 staff in a manner appropriate to the individual's age and the practices of the
			 surrounding community;
4.
			 Recreation and leisure time activities appropriate to the individual's age and
			 the practices of the surrounding community and which are consistent with the
			 individual's interests and capabilities;
5. A home with a design which takes into
			 consideration numbers of individuals present, physical comfort, style of decor,
			 opportunities for privacy, external appearance, type of neighborhood where the
			 home is located, and access to the community;
6. Possessions which are appropriate to the
			 individual's age and the practices of the local community and consistent with
			 the individual's interests;
7.
			 Privacy, including the opportunity wherever possible, to be provided clearly
			 defined private living, sleeping and personal care spaces; and
8. Freedom from discomfort, distress, and
			 deprivation which arise from an unresponsive and inhumane
			 environment.