Mental Disability In Our Society

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Esther Delva NUR- 405 Cheryl Campolo MSN, ARNP, BC June 26, 2011 Florida Department of Community Affairs 2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard Tallahassee, FL 32399-2100 June 28, 2011 Dear Florida Department of Community Affairs, I am writing this letter because I believe that, the mentally challenged people in our society need more respect recognition as to who they truly are as well as their rights. The mentally challenged people in our community need, special treatment, and for people to acknowledge them as a human being, rather than just a retarded person. People in our society need more education on mentally challenged people and their condition, as well as how to treat them and accept them in our communities. What does someone do when they see a retarded person? Unfortunately they usually make fun them. It’s sad but true. It’s estimated that 3 out of every 100 people are born with some type of mental disability, but yet our society has not yet learned how to deal with this population. Perhaps it’s because the public doesn’t know how to treat these people. It is reported that 3 to 4 per 1,000 people are mentally retarded (Ellis, 1986). It is not always easy to recognize a mentally retarded person by a customary glance. Two main ways to determine mental retardation are: (1) certain physical characteristics and/or (2) when an infant/child fails to make normal developmental progress (mental or physical) (Ellis, 1986). One major problem regarding mental retardation is knowledge of the accurate definition and limitations of the disability (Bray, 1990). In the past, society and several professions have not given mentally retarded persons the necessary resources. An accurate knowledge base of the disability is necessary before proper resources can be created. Contrary to popular belief, mental retardation is not something a person has, is not a medical disorder
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