I am a person with a disability who is a single adoptive parent to three beautiful girls and soon to arrive son. All of my kids happen to have developmental disabilities, and two are wheelchair users.
My children are aged 21, 16, and 13. My 21 year old has cri du chat syndrome which causes severe to profound intellectual disabilities, multiple physical disabilities and deafblindness. She recently moved into her own home. My sixteen year old has moderate intellectual disabilities, excels in track, and is a busy teenager. My 13 year old is a former micro-preemie and has cerebral palsy, short gut syndrome and a seizure disorder as a result. She is her mama’s girl and equally as stubborn. My mother’s curses about having a child that acts just like you are all coming full circle. I am in the process of adopting a 10 year old boy.
I am also a wheelchair user, ventilator user, am deaf and have low vision. I have a congenital myopathy that causes my physical disability. My family loves to travel, camp, and explore the world around us.
I am an attorney in the disability rights field where I run the Center for Rights of Parents with Disabilities, an organization providing legal services to parents and children with disabilities involved with social services. While I primarily represent parents and children with disabilities in child protection cases, and I do a bit of ADA and Fair Housing Act work as well.