Chapter 6 - People First

I think I liked this chapter because it was relatively short (26 pages compared to almost 50 for the last two) and to the point.

Self-advocacy is a very important part of American life. One could argue that it is at the heart of what it means to be an American and live in the United States. If we cannot guarantee self-advocacy for all American citizens, then we are no better than any Communist state in the world that thrives on controlling all the actions of its people. One of the best lines of the book is in the very beginning when it talks about what to call people with mental retardation. "Call me a person with mental retardation, but see me as a person first." I think that one quote hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Normal and not normal, we are all people, we are all Americans, and we should all be treated as such.

All it takes is a little help and a little instruction to get people where they need to be in order to take care of themselves and live productive lives on their own without constant supervision. It also takes faith in their ability to take a "laizzez-faire" type attitude and allow those persons with mental disabilities to accomplish tasks on their own. I think its fair to assume that all people want to be independent have the ability to rely only on themselves from time to time. With a little help this would be an attainable reality.