Do *some* belong in an institution?

I was chatting with a friend of mine about a video clip from the Today Show which was broadcasted a few years ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1kbayAdlgg

Yes, please stop what you're doing... don't read any further on this post until you watch that 5 minute video.

Now.

I apologize if you've seen it before- I think I have linked it in one of my previous posts.  No, wait.  I don't apologize.  We need to remember what is going on in other countries and not forget about these lost souls.

Did that video clip bother you?  No, I'm not sorry about that either.  It bothered me, too.  A lot.  This is the type of institution that the children I mention from Reece's Rainbow are transferred to if they aren't adopted by age 4-6.  It doesn't matter how "high functioning" they are- if they have that extra chromosome, they are sent.

So, back to my conversation with my friend.... he made a comment to me about some of the people from the video belonging in an institution (of course not with those delapidated conditions), and that comment did not sit well with me at all.  Yes, this person is still my friend ;) but this stirred something up inside me and I had to get it out.

That institution created 99% of those people's problems.  If each of them were given full tummies and loved on, they would not be in the condition they are in.  Instead, they are given barely enough to survive and very little if any attention.  If they try to climb out of bed they are restrained for hours on end.  How would any of us handle this type of treatment for any extended period of time?  How much do you think these individuals would improve if they were taken from those horrid conditions immediately and placed in a warm and loving environment?  Therapies?

How therapeutic is it for us to receive a hug from a friend or a loved one?  Most of those adults and children from the video will never know.  I say most because I know of one little girl, Katerina, who has a family working so hard to bring her home.  If you go back to the video, you will see Ann Curry introduce Katerina, age 9 with Down syndrome- very quickly.  Notice how small Katerina is for being 9 years old.  Nine years living in a place like that... many of them having lived there so much longer.  Breaks. My. Heart.

What goes through a child's mind when they are transferred to a place like this?  Can you imagine... leaving the orphanage to get into a van- not having this opportunity much besides a visit to the doctor perhaps... thinking they are on some exciting trip or maybe meeting that forever family they've been dreaming about for so long... only to be lead into the dark, drab, delapidated building full of loud cries and moans... placed in a cold metal crib to be forgotten.

Here today in the US, when a child is born with a disability, parents are not stripped of their newborn baby any longer.  We are not told our child belongs in an institution, that they will never walk, talk, or be able to function in society.  Instead, we are given a diagnosis, and lead to specialists and therapists who can help.  We are introduced to other parents and support groups, hearing positive and uplifting stories of acceptance and success in life.  If parents still feel too overwhelmed, they can place their child for adoption.  Institutionalization is NOT an option. So, why should it be an option there?  I welcome your comments.