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Comment by wonderwonder | Hacker News Reader

I used to live near a down syndrome living facility. Essentially a house converted into a care facility in a neighborhood. ~8 - 10 people with downs lived there. Very few visitors (parents), almost all the cars belonged to the nurses. Isolated from everyone they lived around and kept away from the neighbors (I'm sure to the neighbors relief). required constant care. I don't think its a life most would choose.

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If you never interacted with the residents there, how are you so sure it was so bad? Nevermind the people in the group home — on what basis did you acquire the belief that the neighbors were “relieved” not to interact with them?

Maybe you’re right and this situation was terrible for everyone. Is this arrangement required? Is it the best we can do?

I don’t think most people would choose to live a life with many common afflictions. I certainly wish my lower back didn’t hurt all the time. That doesn’t invalidate my existence, and neither does my son’s Down syndrome invalidate his.

I was a neighbor... I was friends with the neighbors. I literally lived across the street from the home. I'm sure the nursing staff was nice and they got as great a life as one could have in a group home. I never claimed having downs invalidated anyone's existence, I simply stated that I don't think its a condition anyone would willingly desire if given an alternative.

Also they had an ambulance or fire truck there at least once every couple months.

How long ago was this?

I ask because segregation like that was considered standard of care decades ago, but has not been in decades now too, so if it was recent, it's not following current best practices, and if it was long ago, it's worth noting that this is no longer the standard of care, indeed because it wasn't helpful and people would not choose it.

Last year? Its just a house in a residential neighborhood. Neighbors obviously did not want to interact with them very often, limited to a wave if one of them was taking out the trash. The segregation is pretty much desired by the neighbors and understood by the nurses. No one raising a family really wants to have to interact with mentally challenged non family people every day of their lives. Keeping the interaction limited means complaints don't happen.

My experience of interacting with people who have Down’s syndrome is that they are especially outgoing, preternaturally friendly and just generally lovely to be around.

I’m not arguing for either side of the treatment/screening debate here, but vehemently against an apartheid-like view on how people with disabilities should be treated, i.e. not as outcasts but as fellow humans.

I agree, reality is though that they have special needs and for the most part are unable to care for themselves. The people in the home were there because their families were either unable or unwilling to do it.

Reality is that the vast majority of families don’t want a facility in their neighborhood. If downs could be prevented its an overall positive outcome. I wish nothing but happiness for those already affected

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