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Did You Know?...
..how Mary Centre defines "developmental challenge"?*
Every person is limited in one way or another. We aren't all great cooks or athletes
or geniuses.
 People who are developmentally
challenged have trouble learning. They struggle with tasks that others find easy.
But in their feelings and emotions, in their range of likes and dislikes, they are
more or less like anyone else.
A person can be severely or moderately challenged. It is a permanent condition.
And so some need help and support with skills like communication, grooming, mobility
and making appropriate decisions.
People who are developmentally challenged are often special in the way they embrace
relationships and get people to share. They can make important contributions to
their workplace and community.
This is why Mary Centre celebrates developmental challenges.
* Terms used by other organizations
include "developmental handicap," "intellectually challenged," "developmentally
delayed," "intellectual disability," "mental handicap" and similar phrases.
A person with a developmental challenge is someone who has a significantly lower
then average level of general intellectual functioning. Developmental challenges
arise from a variety of causes, for example, difficulties with pregnancy or the
birth process, genetic conditions such as Down Syndrome and Fragile X, illnesses
such as meningitis and encephalitis.
Most people with developmental challenges lead lives like most of the population.
Some may need varying degrees of emotional support or education to live successfully.
And others may require extensive support in most areas of their daily lives. Although
a person with a developmental challenge learns at a slower pace than the general
population, he or she can learn to do many things.
...that about three in 100 people are diagnosed as developmentally challenged?
...that people who have a developmental disability value the same things as all
of us: respect, dignity, friendship?
...that individuals with developmental challenges were once regarded as "patients."
In the past, the developmentally challenged were entirely dependent upon custodial
care provided in large institutional settings and had few, if any, choices or rights.
Today, people with developmental challenges are now considered full citizens entitled
to receive a range of services of their choosing to maintain their quality of life
and enjoy full inclusion in society.
...that the Ontario government is closing the last of its large institutions housing
adults with developmental challenges?
The province of Ontario has provided services to people with a developmental challenge
for over a century. Ontario's developmental services system has changed greatly
over this time, with the most significant shift being from provincially-operated,
institution-based services to community-based services that promote greater social
inclusion, independence and choice for individuals.
Today, only three of the province's original 16 residential institutions for adults
with a developmental disability remain. By spring 2009, Ontario will close these
remaining facilities, completing the move from an institution-based service system
to a community-based system that promotes independence, inclusion and choice. Nearly
1,000 adults will be moved back into their communities.
...that almost 200 people are on the waiting list in Toronto alone for urgently
needed permanent residential living?
...that while 29 agencies offer services for people with developmental challenges
in the Greater Toronto Area – more than 2,000 adults are on a waiting list
for service?
...that many adults with developmental challenges
are now outliving their parents?
Canadians with developmental disabilities now have a life expectancy that extends
beyond mid-life. Improvements in their health and life expectancy have coincided
with a dramatic shift in public and professional attitudes toward them and in approaches
to service delivery. Despite these positive trends, however, older adults with a
developmental disability are still an under-served and marginalized group.
...that the effects of aging on physical health of individuals who have developmental
challenges are the same as for the general population, but often appear at an earlier
age?
...that health promotion and disease prevention can have a major impact on the functional
ability, quality of life and longevity of seniors with a developmental challenge?
Although sensory, visual or auditory impairments among aging persons with developmental
challenges are similar to those in the general population, the degree of impairment
may be more severe due to preexisting problems. They may also experience more severe
loss of flexibility and may be prone to developing arthritis at a younger age.
You'll find more information about adults with developmental challenges in our resources section.
To learn more about Mary Centre's 20 year history of Celebrating Developmental Challenges,
read our history.
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