Craig Thomas’s “Hollywood and the ‘R-word’ ” (Ideas, Sept. 18) hit close to home for me. As the mother of a 43-year-old man with Down syndrome and the president and CEO of the Northeast Arc, I, too, have been silent when I should have spoken, sulked when I should have raged, and was complicit when I should have led.
That all changed when I found my voice in the first years after his birth and became determined to push open closed doors and address injustices. Even today, I still painfully recall the morning I drove my son Jonathan to school and another student yelled, “Here comes the retard!” However, what is seared into my psyche is the vice principal’s indifference and unwillingness to address it. So much has changed since then: Life spans have increased, inclusive education is the law, employment barriers have come down, and more options for housing are available.
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Still, there is more work to be done. This is true even in Massachusetts, where last month, Governor Charlie Baker signed first-of-its-kind legislation improving access to college for students with autism and intellectual disabilities. This groundbreaking legislation took more than a decade to pass. Families here continue fighting for inclusive education, access to health and dental care, housing, and employment.
We have an opportunity at this...
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