Disability²

Sabreena Westphal, formerly known as Tiffany Callo, is engaged in a fight for custody of her youngest child. Westphal, whose struggle to regain custody of her oldest children was the subject of a book A Mother’s Touch: The Tiffany Callo Story. Like most parents who have been involved with social services, the birth of a new child brought instant scrutiny from child protection workers.

Reportedly, Westphal has inadequate attendant support, lacks adaptive equipment to allow independence, and has been slow to meet the requirements of her treatment plan, and predictably, her parental rights are at risk. If the facts are as reported, Callo and her partner aren’t ready for her daughter to be home at this time. Putting aside the systemic issues that put Westphal in this situation, there are better options than our current system to provide permanency and security for children, while at the same time allow children to be nurtured and loved by their birth families.

So often, child protection workers admit that parents like Westphal love their children, but that they don’t have the skills to parent them. In response, they terminate parental rights and allow the children to be adopted by another family. While we don’t allow birth families to treat their children as chattel, we instead commodidize the children as chattel for their adoptive families. We need to rethink our child protection and family preservation systems so that they really do act in harmony and in the best interest of children and their families. Parents like Westphal can be a positive and nurturing influence in their children’s lives, and their children in theirs, but our system does not allow that to happen. Termination of parental rights and adoption preclude courts from ordering continuing contact, even when it is in the best interests of children. As demonstrated by what happened with Westphal’s older children, continuing contact with children after adoption is at the whim of the adoptive parents, not based upon what is in the best interest of children. It is possible to develop legislation and public policy that allows children the permanency adoption offers, while at the same time preserving those crucial ties to their families of origin. The more loving resources in a child’s life the better, but our system does not allow for that option.

I will blog a bit more about the myth of best interests, and family preservation in later posts.

Despite my best efforts to shield my kids from the telethon, I failed.  While running around taking care of household duties (and not making my kids slave away), one of our aides tried to get the DVD player working so that the kids could watch a movie.   Our aide accidentally changed the TV channel rather than the input,  and the over the air signal of the telethon appeared.  I picked that opportune moment to ask the aide to help me with something, and neither of us realized that the movie was not playing.

I discovered this horror when my 12 year old came up to me and said “I can’t watch that” which is what she says when she doesn’t want to watch something (you know, when the news appears at the end of her Tivo’d show).  I returned to the living room to discover my 8 year old staring at the tv with her mouth agape and her tongue hanging out.  It’s the same look I’ve seen on young adolescents when they stumble upon a naked people channel.  I quickly changed the tv input and got the movie going.

After losing legs, Reggie Colton found a role model who inspired him (more…)

One Tough Lawyer

The Denver Post featured me and the CRPD in an article that was posted today:

Last year, after earning her law degree from the University of Denver, Lucas launched the coalition’s Center for Rights of Parents With Disabilities. The center provides legal representation to disabled parents. Some have experienced discrimination; others face the risk of losing children because of their disabilities.

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No limits for plaintiff in Kmart disability lawsuit

Carrie Ann Lucas has come to terms with the disability that has taken her hearing and her sight and her ability to walk.

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I’ve been swamped with work, so have not been updating the blog as I should I have been a plaintiff in a nationwide class action against Kmart. The case was filed 7 years ago, and finally settled. You can read more about it here:
Disabled Win Kmart Payoutand here: Kmart Settles Disability Access Lawsuit

After authorities threatened to place their children in foster care, an Israeli couple set off fireworks in the Nazereth Shrine sparking a riot. (more…)

This time with a story about little people on Monday Febraury 27, 2006. Again it could have been worse. (more…)

ECU junior blind since childhood a star athlete, student, human being

When her son was just 7 years old, Verdina Gillette-Simms one evening contemplated the condition that would redefine his life.

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A Step at a Time: With a new leg and a baby coming, determination overrides the anguish

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