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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 13, 2007 - 19 They had done nothing wrong Continued from page 14 through the night and everything seemed fine until Macleod's mother noticed the baby wasn't quite crawling or moving as she should be around 18 months of age. It garnered a thorough checkup at a children's hospital in Montreal where the Macleods were living at the time. It brought a diagnosis that Donna was intellectually handicapped. Working as an economics professor at a Montreal university, Macleod had freedom to juggle her time between work and home, and housekeepers/nannies looked after the home and Donna in between. When her husband was transferred to Toronto, Macleod continued to commute until she landed a job at the then new Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). As Donna approached school age, her mom said her daughter attended a Toronto school particularly known for handling "difficult children," but it didn't work out. Then the Macleods heard about a school in Oakville so they moved here. "Donna was highly active, you couldn't keep up with her," said Macleod, adding, "Eventually she got to be too much." Donna was then placed in Oaklands Regional Centre, but was so upset about it that she broke a window there, got glass in one eye and was blinded. Heavy with sadness over her daughter's injury and upset at the lack of alterna- Betty Macleod tives, Macleod said she went completely blank one day while delivering a lecture and eventually sought medical assistance before being diagnosed as bipolar/manic depressive. At the same time, Donna was moved from Oaklands, spent time at two psychiatric hospitals, one in Toronto and another in Brockville, before being placed in Huronia. There she had limited freedom, shared personal belongings and lived seeing her parents about once a month, sometimes less during winter. Macleod resolutely believes that her daughter, who was later also diagnosed as bipolar, could have been better diagnosed and, therefore, treated from the beginning and that it may have laid the groundwork for a better life. Donna's dad passed away in 1993 and not long ago, Macleod received news that the provincial government was closing institutions with the aim of integrating people into the community with community support. Donna didn't move home to live with her mom. Last fall, she moved into a group home in Oakville where she lives with several others and is supported by Community Living Oakville staff. Donna's support workers report she loves venturing out into the community and especially likes going grocery shopping and to the mall. Blaauw smiled recalling how he one day got an emergency call from Donna's group home where she had seized an opportunity to lock a support worker out -- in order to feast on a jar of peanut butter. Though Donna was never schooled at Huronia, she does speak a few words and has demonstrated a keen intelligence to size up situations as evidenced by the peanut episode, according to Blaauw. "I think she's got a good mind, if she could just be trained," said her mom, noting computers and technology may be of assistance to her daughter. It is bittersweet however that the opportunity has presented itself as Donna nears age 50, her mom is nearly 85 and her dad is deceased. It's also another big change, despite being a positive one, for people who had to force themselves to learn to live with, and then did live with, a much-less desirable option. Society did not want to, nor did it have the means, of dealing with Donna or others like her. Now, as the philosophy of integration into the community becomes the philosophy of choice, Macleod is hoping that while institutions are closing, the community will be able to accommodate the residents -- some of whom are now seniors and are being placed in long-term care seniors' residences. Macleod, who still relates to her daughter by attempting to hold her hand, calls herself Mommy and uses coaxing little statements to communicate, admits she's happy to have Donna closer to home, but finds it emotionally exhausting. "I look at her and think of what she could have been," she said. While the road may have been a long one for Donna and her parents, it's hoped their experiences and the government's gravitation away from institutions will prove beneficial for others with intellectual handicaps in future. On March 31 of this year, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services reached the half-way point in its four-year plan to close the three remaining provincial institutions for the developmentally disabled. "Full community inclusion is about to become a reality in this province. As the door closes on this chapter of our social service history, we are grateful to Community Living Oakville for opening new doors in the community. The success stories of our newest citizens are remarkable and reflect the specialized support which agencies such as Community Living Oakville provides," stated ministry regional director Vince "I look at her and think of what she could have been." Betty Macleod Tedesco. Institutions first emerged in western countries and included several types: idiot (disability) asylums, insane (psychiatric) asylums, poorhouses, workhouses, and more. England and the United States each built and operated hundreds of institutions . Ontario's first institution was the Ontario Asylum for Idiots (later called The Orillia Asylum, and then the Huronia Regional Centre, which opened in 1876. In subsequent years, the Ontario government operated more than 20 large and smaller institutions, housing thousands of residents. Given that history it's not difficult to see the beginnings and the huge change in societal attitudes -- and know the pain of parents like the Macleods when forced to turn to the only option open to them. Like the era, it's a thing of the past now for Donna and her mom. goodbye, old windows -- it's time for a fresh, new look! 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