Housing & Disabled People

The disabled population is defined as those persons who suffer from a physical or mental impairment that interferes with their daily activities. Estimates of the size of the disabled population range from 35 million to 43 million (Shapiro, 1993, p. 6). The majority of disabled Americans, 85 percent, acquire their disabilities as a result of disease or accident. The prolongation of life resulting from advanced medical technology has created a dramatic increase in the size of the disabled population. Because of the graying of America, approximately one-third of all disabled persons are senior citizens. The disabled population constitutes the nation's largest minority group.

Like other minority groups, disabled people experience discrimination that affects their choice of housing. The six general categories of living arrangements for disabled persons are often represented on a continuum ranging from normalized services that require a high degree of independence or support and segregated services that result in extreme dependence (Clees, 1992, p. 232). Independent livi

. . .
arrangements. Many institutions still base their placement decisions on the degree to which their handicapped clients acquire and maintain a set of community living skills. As Morris (1993) states, "Residential care is still considered as inevitable for many disabled people . . . there is little awareness of either the potential for independent living or how its denial is a denial of a basic human right" (p. 141). Studies indicate that the less restrictive the living environment, the more likely the disabled person is to exhibit significant improvement in adaptive behavior. As one deinstitutionalized resident describes it, "I used to be a shy person because of all those years living in a nursing home" (Shapiro, 1993, p. 240). Nisbet, Clark, and Covert (1991) cite a comparative study of individuals placed in an institution and those relocated to community living arrangements housing an average of three people (p. 119). The study found that the institutionalized individuals made no gains in adaptive behavior whereas the disabled persons living in the community made significant developmental progress, particular those placed in smaller groups. Despite the fact that small group homes and shared independent living arrangements
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Disabilities Act, Living CIL, Clark Covert, United Kingdom, Dept Rehabilitation, Development HUD, Gerry McWhorter, , disabled persons, England Wales, independent living, Rights Act, disabled population, living arrangements, community living, disabled people, morris 1993, americans disabilities act, americans disabilities, disabilities act, nursing homes, nisbet clark covert, clark covert 1991, persons severe disabilities, independent living disabled,
Approximate Word count = 1900
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Housing & Disabled People