http://goo.gl/Lf2Ixz
There was a time not so long ago in Michigan and in America that if your child was born with a disability, the medical society and norms of the day deemed it proper to give your child to the state and “get on with your life.” Doctors and other “helping professions” told parents that institutional care remained the best option, discouraging family involvement because it might “confuse” the child and hinder treatment.
It was a life sentence: the freedom to live a productive life with family and friends, attend a neighborhood school and make your own decisions were curtailed. Trusted assistance might be provided when needed.
It was a costly policy from both a human development and tax expenditure perspective. The cost of “care” in a state institution far outstripped the life of opportunities that came from being able to participate fully in one’s community. It also, in far too many instances, foretold horrible, and in many cases, barbaric care.