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"Accordingly, the Symposium strongly advocates the mixing of the sexes in a manner as free as is commensurate with normal restraints, not only in day centers and workshops, but also in leisure time activities.

"Experience in some countries indicates the advantage of mixing men and women in hostels and other residential facilities in such a way as is approximate to normal life."

Mixing of the sexes according to the normal patterns of everyday society results in better behavior and atmosphere, as more motivations are added. And the mildly retarded sometimes suffer in a loneliness that has no sense, and as others, they may be better off married.

7. A prerequisite to letting the retarded obtain an existence is close to normal as possible is to apply normal economic standards. This implies both giving the retarded those basic financial privileges available to others, through common social legislation, as well as any other compensating economic security measures that may be applicable. This includes child allowances, personal pensions, old age allowances, or minimum wages. Of these allowances, the larger part may be used for board and lodging, but a normal amount of pocket money for the individual's private use should be given regularly, both to assist in realistic social training and to help foster independent choices. Work that is done in competitive employment, in sheltered workshops, or within institutions should be paid for according to its relative north.

8. An important part of the normalization principle implies that the standards of the physical facilities, e.g., hospitals, schools, group homes and hostels, and boarding homes, should be the same as those regularly applied in society to the same kind of facilities for ordinary citizens. Application of these standards to facilities of various types imply a number of important specifics:

a. It means that the sizes of facilities should conform to what is normal and human in society. Especially, it should be kept in mind that a facility for the retarded should never be intended for a larger number of persons than the surrounding neighborhood readily assimilates in its regular everyday community life.

b. It further implies that in planning the location of these facilities, they should never be placed in isolated settings merely because they are intended for the mentally retarded.

With normal locations and normal sizes, facilities for the mentally retarded will give their residents better opportunities for successful integration.

Some Benefits of the Normalization Process

All the above-mentioned facets of the normalization principle make a normalization of the life situation of individual retardates quite feasible: the normalization process can aid many in achieving complete independence and social integration; a great number will be helped in developing relative independence though they may always need various kinds of assistance to various degrees; even the relatively few who are severely or profoundly retarded, or who are afflicted with complicating medical, psychological, or social handicaps will, no matter how dependent they may be, have life conditions, facilities, and services that follow the normal patterns of society.

For the retarded child, adolescent, and young adult, almost every situation has pedagogical implications, possibilities, and values. Just as the right of education is important for every citizen, so it is important for the mentally retarded to have a right to equal opportunities for education, training, and development.

Development of various abilities always has bearings on the development of the whole person. Development of the retarded therefore places particularly heavy responsibilities on persons in charge of the life conditions of the retarded. Mental retardation as a handicap creates especially high frustrations and hurdles for the individual, thereby making it even more urgent to assist and stimulate the retarded in the building up of his self-confidence.

Through stimulating and rich experiences, he can experience himself as an active agent while sensory deprivation imposes a further handicap. To develop a feeling of personal identity is an essential growth factor, and thus the experience of being nameless and anonymous is dangerous and damaging. The self-image of the retarded must be built on letting him experience his personal abilities; thus experience of rejection and disregard creates confusion, stress, and unhappiness.

To develop self-regard, the retarded person must learn how he can succeed through his efforts to cope and thereby to obtain experiences of responsibility. Thus, a too sheltered and barren environment which does not allow for personal activities too often leads to experiences of failure and of being without status and value. The development of a feeling of personal dignity can determine the degree of self-control established, while the experience of lack of regard from others is threatening and corroding.