After watching the presentation today, I was in complete shock about how individuals with intellectual disabilities were treated. I was aware they were put into an institution, however I did not know how terribly they were treated. The presentation hits home for me because I care take for an individual, Sammy, with down syndrome. The thought of Sammy being put into one of those institutions makes my heart hurt. No person deserves to be treated they way they were.
What I learned today that I can relate to the era presentations is how much history changes over time. About 30-40 years ago people were still using derogatory words like "retard, imbecile, and moron" to describe individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, as time has passed people are advocating for a transition of terms to be used. For example, instead of calling someone "retarded" the person should be referred to as "a person with an intellectual disability." Also, advocates are pushing for people first language. This means referring to a person as a "person with down syndrome" rather than a "down syndrome person."
I think learning everything I have so far will shape me into the best occupational therapist I can be. The reason I think this is because I will have an abundance of information and history of the people I will be treating. Also, I can be a better advocate for the IDD community through my knowledge.
Well said, Taylor!
ReplyDelete