I am the father of a 36-year-old man with a severe intellectual disability. His condition is called Angelman Syndrome. He is non-verbal and incapable of independent living or supported employment. We kept him at home with us as long as we could, but eventually, we had to find a residential placement for him. In other words, I am not an objective voice when speaking about society’s support (or lack thereof) for the intellectually disabled. But I am a voice who has some personal experience in the matter.

This is a medical column, and many do not consider mental disabilities medical conditions. But my son Nathaniel’s condition is the result of a genetic abnormality: When he was formed in the womb, the embryo somehow obtained two copies of my 15th chromosome and evicted the copy inherited from my wife. In that regard, Nathaniel’s condition is as medical as cystic fibrosis (an autosomal recessive genetic mutation), or Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (caused by a truncated 22nd chromosome).