"Ideology trumps logic" in care for DD

David Kassel at The Real Choices in Care Blog has a lot to say about the extreme ideology of some disability advocates who oppose all congregate care for people with developmental disabilities. In his post "How Ideology trumps logic in the care of the developmentally disabled", 8/20/13, he observes that "according to the ideology, any care setting for the developmentally disabled that serves more than two or three disabled people at one time is now considered to be 'segregated' because it separates those people even momentarily from the 'community.'   No consideration is given here to the consequences of basing policy on this ideology or what the recipients or their families want or think. "

He goes on to note that for these advocates, closing developmental centers all over the country over the objections of families and guardians is not enough:

"Farming programs for the developmentally disabled must be shut down.  Sheltered workshops must be eliminated. Nursing homes that provide expert care for the disabled are seen as no different than nursing homes that do not have that expertise.  And group homes that house more than three people must be closed.   They are all potential congregate care settings and therefore too 'institutional' for the good of the people who participate in them or are served by them."

The ideology of these groups has permeated government agencies at all levels, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Justice. Only the assertion that "segregation is discrimination" is taken into account, often without evidence that any individual has actually been discriminated against (either forced into or prohibited from participating in a program or activity against the individual's will based on the person's status as a disabled person). Often the only criteria sited for establishing discrimination is that the person associates or lives with other people who are disabled. 

This is an ideology that unnecessarily causes suffering for both the individuals in need of specialized care and their families. Kassel includes a statement in his blog post from a father whose daughter lives at a specialized nursing facility in Massachusetts. He and other families lived in fear for years that their loved ones with extensive medical needs would be removed from the care they needed because of a lawsuit that has finally been resolved: 

"The (Seven Hills Center) families spent hundreds of hours in meetings and seeking out legislators to attempt to find someone to stand up for their children. Several of the parents sought medical help due to the increased anxiety and stress from the case. When their children died due to the natural course of their many medical problems, we all mourned together. None of us would mourn for the self-righteous extremist opponents of congregate care who imposed this hell on us. Not one of those advocates has shown a single iota of concern for the well-being of our children, who are among the neediest individuals in this world. If any one of them has a conscience, they should be deeply ashamed. We have never heard the slightest word of apology from them."

In the world in which many of these disability advocates live, there is no need to make distinctions between good care and bad, between differences in people that make congregate care not only necessary but desirable for some, but not for others, or to consider the potential harm in the policies they promote. All they know is that they know best and they are right. What a wonderful fantasy that must be.