Hissom Essay

3. The Hissom lawsuit, also known to many as the Homeward Bound lawsuit, affected people that have developmental disabilities, their families, and services that have since then been put into place in a vast majority of ways. This lawsuit that was filed against the Hissom institution in the 1980s accused the caretakers of not providing quality care for their loved ones. Seven parents came together to make their grievances known about the caregiving staff abusing and neglecting their children that were housed at the Hissom institution, which started a chain of events that lead to the types of community services that are now offered across the state of Oklahoma to children, and adults, that have developmental disabilities. A judge ruled that the Hissom institution be shut down, which meant about 500 people that were living there and being cared for had to be moved back home with parents or other
Although there have been many improvements in the conditions which people with developmental disabilities have to deal with over the last few decades, I feel as though our state, and country still have a long ways to go. There have been many laws and programs put into place with the intention of helping these children and adults feel “normal” in society, but the public as a whole is still very uneducated on this subject. People with disabilities are still bullied in schools, work places, or anywhere else public. Educating the public and making public areas truly safe and comfortable places for people with developmental disabilities to be will be the next challenge to overcome. As students trying to get degrees in human development, nursing, doctors, counselors, and any other type pf degree that involves working with people, it is our job to educate the public too. The more the public is introduced to this subject, the more normal it will become; therefore, making life for people with disabilities more fulfilling and as close to what would be considered normal as