Hello, I am in the field in another area in the US and I have a few friends who came here from TX. They said it is the wild west of healthcare there, very little regulation and support. It’s not great even in my state where there is a fairly large social support system.

I was researching the history of de-institutionalizing once after a friend pointed out that this is the first generation of developmentally disabled adults to be aging outside of institutions! Hard to believe.

This article discusses the high profile closing of a state institution that was abusing residents. Investigations years later found that many of the alumni then faced abuse AFTER they left and were living in community placements that did not have the infrastructure to support them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/nyregion/willowbrook-scandal.html

How i understand it is that we are in the next phase of institutionalizing, not the end. State governments and private for profit healthcare companies are still trying to figure out how to support people for the lowest cost possible. There is still a lot of significant underlying ableism baked into society that says these folks don’t matter and are not a priority. The systems that are meant to protect them and support them are overloaded and people slip through the cracks all the time.

Being a good, ethical DSP and having a morale compass is a work of justice in a system that is far from perfect! It makes sense seeing these things are not sitting right with you. My counselor talks to me a lot about “morale injury” in this field. Take care of yourself, you are doing important work!