Most people would be surprised to learn that three out of every one hundred Americans have a developmental disability and that in the United States there are approximately 6.5 million adults, teens, and children with some type of intellectual challenge.
Please stop for a moment and consider that number. SIX MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND.
That is more than the populations of Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Vermont, and Rhode Island combined.
And yet a typical citizen could easily live most of their life without ever meeting a person with that particular diagnosis. However, it is also possible that they could come in contact with an individual who has a developmental issue – and not realize it.
People with intellectual challenges can be physically healthy with no visible signs of disability. In the right situation, you could spend an expanse of time with a person without ever knowing that their IQ was 70 or less.
But, sadly, for too many years these individuals were forbidden to exercise their rights. Throughout their lives, they had to fight against bias and judgment. Some even faced ridicule and bullying.
Decades ago, people with developmental disabilities were locked away in institutions or in nursing homes. Separated from their families, they were deprived of the most important relationships in life. They had no choice but to live without the love we all desperately need and the human contact that sustains us. Through no fault of their own, they were forced to exist on the fringes of life.
These individuals were rarely seen in public. Typically, they were shunned by the medical establishment and excluded from public education. When they became adults, there was little hope of finding even entry-level employment since they had never received any type of vocational training. They were held back from all the important areas of society that the rest of us take for granted.
In many ways, people with intellectual challenges were invisible, and that was an injustice that should have never occurred. They were innocent victims of narrow-minded thinking, and ignorance. Their lives were not considered important, and consequently, they were made to feel as if they didn’t matter. They were often treated shamefully and, in some cases, cruelly.
Even still today, there are a variety of reactions when someone encounters a man or woman with a developmental disability. Some people find it touching that “a person like that” is involved and active in public. A few will find it disturbing and wish that “those kind of people” were not present in everyday settings. But, fortunately, most of us will accept the fact that we are seeing a human being just like us living their life the best they can.
Because men and women with intellectual challenges are no longer marginalized and are now participating in the community, we can all learn powerful lessons from interacting in meaningful ways with people who are more than willing to accept others for who they are and who, in return, should receive the same consideration.
Thankfully, these individuals are now present in all areas of life. They go to school, they go to church, they eat at restaurants, they attend movies and they shop at the mall. They have the same interests, the same hopes and the same dreams as you and me. They want to be understood, they want to be valued, and they want to be accepted.
It has been a long difficult struggle for people with developmental disabilities and other intellectual challenges to be allowed to take their rightful place in society. But we have finally arrived at a point in time where they are beginning to experience true understanding and inclusion.
Although they still face many obstacles, significant progress is consistently being made. More and more these men and women are being acknowledged as equals, appreciated for who they are and receiving the dignity and respect they have always deserved.
At long last, they are no longer being denied their humanity.
Michael Crawley 