Archive for Raising A Disabled Child

Bedford Family Alleges Abuse of Autistic Child in $20 Million Lawsuit

| October 19, 2011 | No comments

If it keeps costing our schools (and taxpayers) millions, maybe the abuse of seclusion and restraint will end in our public schools.

This from Bedford VA, provided by Georgia:Families Against Restraint And Seclusion

Bedford County’s school board and several current and former school employees are facing a $20 million lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, a 14-year-old autistic boy was attacked on his school bus by people who were supposed to protect him.

The alleged incidents happened more than two years ago. Attorneys for the boy’s family have produced video tape that they say shows some of the attacks.

Video captured from a school bus surveillance camera appears to show an adult woman kicking and hitting a young boy. Attorneys say the women is Mary Alice Evans, a former Bedford County teacher’s aide.

The child is an autistic boy.

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We need to keep squeaking our wheels.  Wake up our children are being abused in school.  School is not supposed to hurt.

Category: Autism, Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education, Growing Up Disabled, Living With A Disability, News Story, Raising A Disabled Child, Restraint | Tags: , , , , ,

From Atlanta Georgia – 4-year-old Says Teacher Spanked Her With Shoe

| October 8, 2011 | No comments

This is from a posting on Members in Georgia:Families Against Restraint And  Seclusion.

ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) –
A 4-year-old girl in the Atlanta Public School system says her teacher spanked her bare bottom with a shoe during class. Now the teacher is out of the classroom.

CBS Atlanta spoke to that girl’s grandmother, Virginia Leslie, who admits that her granddaughter Shamiya is hyper, but said that a teacher spanking the little girl with a shoe was not the answer.

“I thought spankings (weren’t) done at school,” said Leslie. “This is 2011.”

Leslie said she is irate over what Shamiya said happened while she attended Pre-K at East Lake Elementary.

“My teacher pulled my panties down and my skirt down and whooped me with a big shoe,” said Shamiya.

Shamiya told her grandma the spanking happened a week-and-a-half ago. The teacher apparently pulled her out of music class.

“What gives a teacher who is not related whatsoever the right to whoop a child?” said Leslie. ” Not just to whoop them, but to pull their underpants down?”

Leslie said she notified the school the next day, but she said she isn’t happy with the way the system has handled the case.

Shamiya hasn’t been back to school in a week. Monday, Leslie filed a police report.

“I just don’t want to put her back up there,” said Leslie. “The same teacher is there and the same thing could happen and then I feel like I would be at fault for allowing it to happen again.”

Leslie said the school district told her Shamiya could transfer to another school, but said she didn’t like that option either.

“Why? What did she do wrong?” said Leslie. “The wrong was done to her. She didn’t do anything wrong. She’s a kid. She’s a child.”

A spokesperson with the Atlanta Public Schools told CBS Atlanta that they are investigating the report.

After questioning from CBS Atlanta, the system temporarily reassigned the teacher outside of the school and away from children, pending the outcome of the investigation.

School should be a safe place for all children! Keep squeaking those wheels maybe one day our children with disabilities will be safe from abuse in our public schools.

Category: Raising A Disabled Child, Restraint | Tags: , , , ,

The Disabled Are Fair Game For Killing

| September 30, 2011 | No comments

The disabled are fair game for killing both inside and outside the womb.  I know raising a child with a disability can be hard.  I have one.  I have many friends who have children with disabilities.

No matter how frustrating.  No matter how hard.  No matter how bad things have gotten.  I have never had one of my friends say they wish their child was dead.

How could any mother want their child dead?  How could any father want their child dead?

Recently a jury in South Florida – West Palm Beach – awarded $4.5 million to parents because they were not given the chance to kill (abort) their son.  The child was born with no arms and one leg.

Wow – these parents are saying they wished their son was dead.  They are saying that they (the couple) would prefer not to have their son.  Even worse a jury decided the child would be better off dead and awarded the parents money as compensation.

Now the award is for money to care for their son.  However, the message is clear – The Disabled Are Expendable.

What does this tell the rest of society?  Yes it is OK to abuse or neglect the disabled; after all they are better off dead.  Those parents and society by extension would be better served if the disabled had never been allowed to be born.

This does not allow that anyone with a disability can have a good quality life.  This does not allow that anyone with a disability can contribute to society.  This does not allow that anyone with a disability can have a family or people who love and care for them.

The Disabled Are Expendable

In the early years of Hitler’s rise to power he was a proponent of euthanasia.  That is the killing off of the weak, unwanted and burdensome.  He was in favor of killing them in and out of the womb.  That is a horrible thought.

However, do you what he modeled his euthanasia legislation after?  He modeled his euthanasia laws after the laws of Virginia and other states here in the US.

Our disregard for the disabled is not new.  We are seeing it raising its ugly head again.  Budgets are tight so now we can kill off the disabled; in fact we should not even let them be born.

Keep squeaking those wheels.

This was originally posted on The View From The Dark Side Of The Moon Blog.

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Living With A Disability, News Story, Raising A Disabled Child | Tags: , , , ,

Judy Owen A Great Friend Starts A New Business

| September 23, 2011 | No comments

Judy Owen – Entrepreneur, Advocate and Friend

Judy Owen has bee a good friend for a number of years now.  Her dedication and passion for helping the disabled is without limit.  She goes well beyond what you would expect from a parent advocate.  Judy truly believes in helping all disabled not just her child.

She has taken a giant leap of faith and started her own business. You can find information on Opportunity Works, Inc. a staffing company that focuses on placing people with disabilities.  She is located in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Judy also is a contributor to the Forbes blog.  Check her out.

I hope she inspires others to take a chance.  Remember we need to keep squeaking those wheels.

Category: Employment, News Story, Raising A Disabled Child | Tags: , , ,

Left Behind – The Disabled Without Services

| September 1, 2011 | No comments

From http://leftbehindintheusa.org/

Mike Coonan runs an organization called Left Behind in the USA.  He speaks for the millions of disabled who have no services – those who have been left behind by our government.

Here is a link to a video on what it is like to wait for services.   Video

Mike spends a lot of time and effort advocating for the disabled.  Mike we all appreciate your efforts.

One day we hope that no one will  – Be Left Behind

Like Mike we keep making noise and squeaking our wheels to bring awareness of those with disabilities.

 

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Growing Up Disabled, Living With A Disability, Raising A Disabled Child | Tags: , , , ,

Video interview with Secretary Elizabeth Dudeck, Agency for Health Care Administration – (AHCA)

| August 31, 2011 | No comments

Aaron Nangle from WaiverProvider.Com & Florida Unites Interviews Elizabeth Dudeck, The Secretary of The Agency For Health Care Administration. – (AHCA)

Click here to see the video

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Living With A Disability, Raising A Disabled Child | Tags: , , , ,

Change to APD’s Respite Services & the Creation of Respite Pool.

| August 26, 2011 | No comments

New changes regarding APD’s respite services. There will be cost plan changes for your people that receive respite services. CDC+ consultants, this will mean a new purchasing plan with the new monthly budget effective October 1, 2011 will need to be submitted to your local APD office. As additional details are shared with us, we will provide them to you.

Effective 9-1-11, respite in cost plans will be  reduced by 50% the remaining cost plan approved amount less the amount used in July and August.

Notice of change to respite service authorization and creation of the new respite pool

Notice of change to respite services that affect CDC+ monthly budgets

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Living With A Disability, Raising A Disabled Child | Tags: , , , ,

PEAK’s Back-to-School 2011 E-Newsletter

| August 25, 2011 | No comments

Some great information for parents or anyone with a school age child with a disability in their life.  PEAK’s Back-to-School 2011 E-Newsletter

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education, Raising A Disabled Child

Stop Abuse of Students In Schools

| August 24, 2011 | No comments

TASH is organizing another campaign against restraint, seclusion and the abuse of disabled students enrolled in public schools. If you are interested in signing the document, please provide me with your email address, and title the email TASH. The more signatures we have, the louder our children’s voices become.
Together we can end legalized abuse!  Go To Cause.

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Education, Living With A Disability, Raising A Disabled Child | Tags: , , , , , ,

America – A Third World Country for the Disabled

| July 27, 2011 | No comments

In the third world children born with disabilities are often left by the side of the road to die.  I can not imagine being so distraught or having so little hope that I would leave a child to die.

It would not be fair for me to judge those who have nothing.  Those who eek out a day to day existence.  Those who are in such abject poverty that they literally have no hope.

Do not misunderstand, I can not and do not condone their actions.  A child deserves to live.  A child deserves a chance no matter what his or her abilities.

It is just that this has become almost common place in many parts of the world.  Of course it can never happen here.  Americans would never abandon their children out of despair.

Wrong – It is happening here.

A 10-year-old child with autism was abandoned at Broward General Medical Center in Florida.  The mother has been located.  She says she was “overwhelmed” and didn’t know what else to do.

Again can we judge this poor mother?  The budget to provide services continues to be cut.  Raising a child is difficult; raising one with a disability is even harder.

She saw no hope for the future.  Of course she saw that.  The waiting list to receive services for the disabled is approaching 20,000.

Our government has told us the disabled are unimportant.  They have told us they are throw-aways that can be ignored.  Our government has told us they do not matter.

One mother got the message loud and clear.

We can not continue to ignore the needs or the most vulnerable.

Category: Being Disabled, Disabilities, Raising A Disabled Child
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