While I don’t share your scepticism towards institutions in general – my personal history is such that the best care and help I’ve ever got has been from psychiatric hospitals, while any non-institution help has been demeaning and worthless – I think you raise a very important point in reminding us that lots of things and indiviuals that in one context is deemed “in need of support” in other contexts actually GET better support through informal means.

I recently made that observation yet again: On a trip to Frankfurt a.M. I stumbled upon a small, somewhat seedy bar in one of the “bad quarters” of the city. It was open almost 24h. And except for a few “tourists” (like me and a few others) the clientele consisted of more or less “odd” people. The people who worked there seemed to really know everyone, and even on their days off looked in and caught up on the news, while enjoying their last drink for the night.
I found myself wondering how much it would strain the city of Frankfurt’s budget for mental health and social services if that little bar disappeared.

Another example I have is from my hometown, Helsinki: a small kiosk, with a not too good selection of food and baked goods. Some fifteen years ago a new owner, a “girl” (early 40-ies) took over, who liked to chat with the customers more than her predecessor. Lots of old people started spending some time with her every day, bringing their crossword puzzles over while buying milk. People left their keys with her, sent their small children to pick up after-school snacks.
But the real impact undoubtably was in the “support” she provided for the elderly and lonely.

I’ve seen some signs that “official support structures” have tried to move to take advantage of, and incorporate existing “community” resources such as these – but far too little. (Again, my experience have been that the “real institutions” like mental hospitals have been much more open to this than the so called “service providers”.)

I also really appreciated that you mentioned that people *do* survive outside “the systems” all the time. What irks me is that the knowledge and experiences of these survivors are totally lost on most well-meaning people involved in support-structures.
Not only is lots of experience, knowledge and ideas lost, an opportunity for society to save money is also lost when all structures are geared towards pushing people into some narrow mould of quasi-middle-class existance.

I watched the report about Autistics. You are very impressive and opened my eyes to your world. A friend of ours has three children, two Autistic. It would be nice if more people learned about the condition and what happens to the patient. Your interview was wonderful and I enjoyed your views and your typing. Keep up the good work and I will read your Web from now on.
Marie

I’ve also long been wary of centers of any kind like that (CILs, psych “consumer-run” centers, women’s crisis centers, and other places ostensibly run by the people who would use their services) that receive government funding. They seem to take on the worst attributes of the systems they are supposedly replacing, only now with the “authenticity” of being run by the same sort of people who’d be getting services there. And they are restricted to doing things that won’t get them defunded.

Co-optation: So sad, so true.

These services begin as grassroots organizations trying to fill the need only they can name in their own community. When rape crisis centers began, many women didn’t know that they had a right not to be raped, much less the power to change rape laws to recognize any person’s right to say “no” to unwanted sexualized aggression. The very best ones included vigorous political advocacy along with the social service function.

Both the bureaucrats and clever grant writers realized that, gee, here was a gaping social need that was being met at remarkably cheap wages from within the community. Wow! The grant writer creates a job, the cheap wages can now maybe subsidize a little healthcare, and the people in power don’t have to worry about changing the material conditions that made the service necessary.

The sort of person the “normal” person is (which varies from place to place) is already valued enough that their society does not regard what they do for that person as a burden or an extra add-on that can and should be taken away where possible, and that should be argued about what the person can do in order to not need whatever assistance they are getting. The society already assumes the responsibility for people like that person. If that category were broad enough to include everybody, this conversation would seem very strange and out of place.

Also, I don’t see a person or their family as separate from the society they live in.

However, every piece of assistance comes with a price tag. Do you think we (as in society) are responsible for the high level of care you need to get along, or is it the responsibility of your loved ones to ensure that you get that care? Given that the level of care you need is appreciably higher than most people (who are able to bathe and feed themselves and shower and go buy their own food and clean their houses without incident), why should you assume that society owes it to you?

“…and what dark corner of the imagination did this clairvoyance nonsense come from?

And further more, what dark corner of the imagination did, “The peanut choir here needn’t bother with their stale collected cries of ‘leave the poor disabled woman alone’ — Amanda Baggs is a predator, preying on those defenseless souls who really are as disabled as she’d have you think she is. You’ll find no sympathy whatsoever for her; that’s reserved for her victims” come from?

That’s quite an accusation to make. I noticed the coward offered no supporting arguments to back up any of his drivel. For all we know this “anon” could be Mr. Doherty himself, or at least one of his syncophants.

If he/she responds again and can provide any proof of his/her wild accusations then fine. If not, I would just block any future comments he/she might make, as they are nothing but a waste of space.

My bet is this coward won’t show up again.