Taking Advantage of the Handicapped

We have all heard the stories of businesses hiring mentally handicapped people. Most of us see this as a noble way to incorporate someone who is less fortunate than ourselves into a work environment. We think of the handicapped person as benefiting from employment by earning a wage and by fitting into a societal "norm". We feel that the business is showing tolerance of all different types of people and that they are being generous by allowing the handicapped person to have a sense of belonging and contributing to society. Until today, I truly felt that it was a great opportunity for a handicapped person to experience. Then I talked to me friend "Dee", who lives near Dallas, Texas. I have changed her name to protect her 16 year old Down's Syndrome child, "Carl", who, until yesterday, worked for such a program.

Carl, in many senses, is a typical teenager. He can be mouthy and moody, as well as kind and considerate. He looks like a typical Down's Syndrome child, and has some problems with his speech. He is moderately retarded but can read and write on a basic level. Carl has other health problems associated with his disorder, including seizures, and problems with his digestive tract. Dee knows that Carl will always live at home with her, but he is more than capable of doing chores around the house such as unloading a dishwasher, carrying sacks of groceries into the house, and making his bed. It just takes him longer.

Carl's school introduced Dee to a work program to help Carl gain employment experience about a month ago. At first, Dee was dead set against it because she wasn't sure how Carl would deal with a foreign situation. However, she decided to keep an open mind in the hopes that the program would help Carl in the long run. So, during school hours, Carl was transported to a different location where he would attend his new "job".