We treat the intellectually disabled among us well.

Generally speaking, the intellectually disabled are very well treated in the US.  

Not too long ago, people here, as in other parts of the world, held the view that persons with mental disabilities were unhealthy, defective and deviant. For centuries, society as a whole treated these people as objects of fear and pity. The prevailing attitude was that such individuals were incapable of participating in or contributing to society and that they must rely on welfare or charitable organizations.

Things started to change, and change rapidly, during the 1960's and 70's under the leadership of US presidents from John F. Kennedy to Richard Nixon, which had a great influence on the treatment of and attitudes toward people with disabilities.

President Kennedy set up a presidential panel which affirmed that mental retardation is not a hopeless condition; it is subject to prevention and amelioration.  Kennedy passed the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963.  Medicaid and Medicare were then established in the mid-1960's, making it possible for many developmentally disabled persons and their families to secure medical and other long-term care in their communities.

President Lyndon Johnson established a permanent presidential committee on mental retardation in 1965.  The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964; tenets of which were subsequently applied to many disadvantaged groups, including people with developmental disabilities.  The civil rights movement spread.  Legal Advocacy by groups such as the ACLU in the “public interest” resulted in numerous judicial decisions expanding the rights of people with developmental disabilities.

President Nixon established a goal of moving 1/3 of the nation's 200,000 institutionalized individuals with mental retardation into supportive community living.   He issued presidential directives that required the Attorney General enforce the rights of mentally retarded and that the Department of HUD create ways to improve their housing.  A mandate included in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 required states to address the vocational rehabilitation problems of the severely disabled as a first priority.

所有跟帖： 

• 中文可以說是智障人士？ -心存善念- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 12:59:00

• 是啊，進步了。過去就蔑稱 “傻子”，“傻瓜”。 -ibelieu- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 13:14:04

• 據說有這樣成員的家庭都說他們是來於上帝的 gift with true love -心存善念- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 14:26:50

• Yes, it's true. I've heard parents of intellectually -ibelieu- ♀ (255 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 16:02:13

• The disabled people r lucky compared with the ones in China. -妖妖靈- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 15:24:42

• Can't agree more. The disabled -ibelieu- ♀ (374 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 16:14:58

• 2 say people with disability which one is more proper? -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 16:22:12

• disabled or handycapped? -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 16:23:00

• It seems "disabled/disability" is the safer choice. -ibelieu- ♀ (1305 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 17:01:03

• 謝謝分享。周末愉快。 -chuntianle- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 19:03:24

• 謝謝分享。周末愉快。 -chuntianle- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/12/2022 postreply 19:03:24

• Happy Valentine's Day. ibelieu! -甜蟲蟲- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/14/2022 postreply 17:15:55