Disability care needs

SIR – The article by Leah Hardy, prompted by the row over possible cheating among Paralympic athletes (telegraph.co.uk, November 1), raised some interesting points about disability care provision.

She wrote: “How can disabled people achieve their potential if they are regarded as utterly different from everyone else and in need of segregation and protection rather than inclusion and independence?”

The recent modernisation of disability care provision was driven by a blanket aspiration for paid employment and independent living. This is entirely appropriate for those whose disability is physical, rather than mental. However, disability covers a huge spectrum of challenges, including Down’s syndrome and learning disability. For the majority of such people, paid employment and true independence are as achievable as a big lottery win.

It is a modern heresy, but some people with a disability do need looking after. Care in the community is often lacking, and there has been no adequate replacement for successful day centres, which provided fun, friendship and a good quality of life for those who used them. Tony Martin

South Molton, Devon