Course Conclusion
- Edward Gibbon
Congratulations!
Well done. You have completed the entire Partners in Time e-learning course. In this course, you explored the way people with developmental disabilities were treated throughout history.
You learned:
- That common themes such as segregation, isolation, dehumanization, abuse, exploitation and ignorance have pervaded the treatment of people with developmental disabilities since ancient times.
- How people with developmental disabilities lived, learned and worked throughout time.
- About the people who took action and pushed new ways of thinking about people with developmental disabilities and their capabilities.
- Key milestones in the history of people with developmental disabilities.
- That legislative changes were often a driving force in creating a more inclusive society.
- The important role assistive technology plays in helping people with developmental disabilities participate more fully and independently.
- What needs to be done to keep the momentum going and how you can help by creating your own vision for a new, brighter future.
The future is yours to create if you accept the challenge. Those who wait will be forced to live with the decisions made by others who don't understand or care about the needs of people with developmental disabilities and consider these important issues solely from a financial perspective. Limiting the bottom-line will prevail if compassion and concern for the greater good is not considered.
As Ed Roberts reminds us in his 1977 speech celebrating the success of the sit-in to force passage of Section 504:
"There is nothing like building a movement on success. We have never been defeated. You think about it. Whenever we have brought ourselves together, whenever we have joined various disabilities together, we find our strength. Our strength is in our unity. And our strength is in our righteousness…We, who are considered the weakest, the most helpless people in our society, are the strongest, and will not tolerate segregation, will not tolerate a society which sees us as less than whole people. But that we will together, with our friends, reshape the image that this society has of us. We are no longer asking for charity. We are demanding our rights!"
As you prepare to take on the world, click here for a graduation gift that will keep you focused on the prize - a world that accepts all, defends all and protects all.
Thank you for taking the Partners in Time online course. We hope you found it helpful and informative. If you have suggestions for improving the course, please let us know. Simply complete the Feedback form, then click Submit. After completing the Feedback form, you will be asked if you want to receive a Certificate of Completion. Simply click on the link provided and complete the Certificate Request form.
Good luck and remember...the future is what you make it!