"My son will be twenty-two when he finishes in the training centre.  He is quite an independent individual but he will never be able to lead a normal person's life.  My fear and that of my children is ''what does the future hold for him then?'"

"Our feelings are that families of disabled persons should be grateful for small mercies."

"We seem to have little choice when it comes to what's ahead of him.  Where will he go,  what will he do?   Will he be confined to the house until he dies?  My children,  who will be leading their own lives at that stage,  what effect will it have on them?"

"Our daughter is approaching twenty-one years and as we ourselves are getting older we are worried about her future when she is finished her present course at the Training Centre."

"We are anxious to ensure that the progress that has been achieved with our daughter over the past sixteen years will not be lost.  We would hope that some kind of care could be provided that would keep her physically active with a programme that would include games,  walks and other activities."

"We find it very hard to motivate her to be active as she prefers the company of younger people.  If she is at home she is content to spend her time listening to her radio and even with coaxing she is reluctant to go for walks.  We are very worried that if she was left at home she might lose the level of communication skills she now has."

"When you have an intellectually disabled child every service you get has an element of charity being donated."
 
"Over the years my son,  in his own way,  has been the centre-point our family has revolved about.  From his first faltering steps at 2½ years to the young man of 19 today,  independent living was the goal we set for him. All of his schooling and training were towards this end.  He loves his work in school and at home.   He looks after his room and personal hygiene,  sets the table and clears up and washes the dishes after dinner.  He is in the Venture Scouts that he enjoys,  ten-pin bowling on Friday he is crazy about,  and the Saturday Club to meet his pals.  He is a pleasure to live with.  He has Down's Syndrome."

"A family that has an intellectually disabled child or adult has problems that nobody really understands."

"The level of help given to parents who care for their intellectually disabled children is almost nil.  Forward planning to cater for adults has been neglected."

"Having an intellectually disabled child means spending your life thanking people.  Most people we deal with in the service provider are serious dedicated professionals who treat both our child and ourselves with great courtesy.  However it is impossible to forget that we have no real rights under law.  If we don't like the institution which our child attends we cannot take her out and place her elsewhere.  There is nowhere else."

"Parents who are getting old are afraid to die because they fear what will happen to their intellectually disabled child."

"Rearing children to-day is very difficult.  Having an intellectually disabled child can break a family."

"Having an intellectually disabled child in the family means that the full family becomes disabled . "
 
"The service provider has endeavoured to provide education and training for intellectually disabled people .

However there is no evidence to indicate that these efforts will do more than teach them elementary social and domestic skills with a view to possible part-time work for some.

It would seem that no concerted viable plans have been put to Government towards providing the financial means to fit a plan which will give very real hope and opportunity for
for the lifetime of these people whose needs are far greater and perhaps more easily met than those of us 'endowed' with normality ."

"Based on our experience with our son who is a Down's Syndrome adult of  nineteen :-

1.    He cannot be left alone in the house because

*    He cannot take and convey telephone messages
*    He does not fully understand electrical appliances and might well do serious injury to himself and damage to the house
*    Any caller to the house would be liable to gain entry
*    He might decide to leave the house and wander off for a time

2.    Although he has responded well to training both at home and in school in relation to outdoor behaviour he nevertheless needs close supervision to ensure that he comes in for meals on time and can be accessed when required.

3.    He is very keen to learn and participate in physical work activities.  He is not liable to get training of this kind.  To my knowledge training centres aspire only to training them to clean,  sweep up and stack supermarket shelves .
 
4.    He is,  it seems,  incapable of ever reading or writing to any communicative degree.  However,  with intensive training in construction skills related to his physical capabilities he could become a happy worker."