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Each person with DD is a person first and an individual with his / her disability as secondarily; he/she should have access to all the general community services that he/she can use in common with others. Only when integrated services fail to meet his/her needs should there be specialized services.
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Every person with DD and his/her family is entitled to the concern and assistance of the community, expressed through public and voluntary resources. This is their right as citizens.
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There is potential for growth in every individual. For each person, society should provide the opportunity to develop to the limits of his/her capabilities.
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Services should be planned and provided as part of a continuum, which means that the pattern of facilities and eligibility shall be so complete as to meet the needs of each person with DD, regardless of age or degree of disability, and at each stage of life development. It also means continuity, including uniform eligibility standards, to insure that no individual is lost in the transition from one service to another.
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Services for persons with DD should be close to their homes and families. This applies to developmental centers and other residential facilities as well as to diagnostic, educational, recreational and other community services.
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The best hope is prevention and society's responsibility to support and respond to new knowledge and/or through research and to apply it promptly. Meanwhile, the community has an obligation to the persons with developmental disabilities in the program.
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Provision for training of professional persons to work with individuals with DD should be built into service programs whenever appropriate and possible. Professional training is an essential component of the total program and a pattern of service is incomplete without it.
