I read the article that Eunice wrote in the Saturday Evening Post, and in that writing she's working really hard just to convince people that the developmentally disabled can be taught to do things like mow lawns. The conditions at the institutions she describes are horrible.
It's why I love my work so much. That now the goal is to bring each and every one of these people up to whatever their highest possible levels of skills are, is what makes this something that feeds my soul, rather than being an endless drain. The homes I work at, are homes - modest number of people living there, comfortable, ordinary furniture, decorations on the walls, stuff taped to the fridge. There's gentle squabbling over the bathroom, kind gestures from one resident to another and sometimes to staff, card games played, the occasional argument, housework done together, crafts, hobbies, books to read, meals discussed and planned at least sometimes by the residents. The most powerful behavior management tool I have at my disposal is humor. I will never touch a fire hose, or lock someone in a room for hours, alone in the dark.