Childhood and Disability: Ethical Considerations

In this thesis, I argue in favor of supported decision-making as a model for decisions made by people with intellectual and/or developmental disability, claiming that these individuals can and should control the decisions that impact their lives. I suggest that we can understand the support needs of individuals with ID/DD as a part of the decision-making process that undermines autonomy no more than the support afforded an abled individual. I also argue that the ongoing and pervasive infantilization of disabled adults disregards the breadth of decision-making capacity these individuals may have. I demonstrate the risks in infantilizing those with developmental and intellectual disability, while also noting the promise of reclaiming connections between disability and childhood. Finally, I argue that the state of Pennsylvania has an ethical obligation to fully fund Medicaid Waivers, which provide for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), because HCBS is better realization of autonomy, dignity, and respect for disabled adulthood than institutional care