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This page will show additional photo's from our Activities and Events....And give us updates on "What's
Happening" in our Community...
Families fight to save services for their disabled loved ones... October 13th, 2009 Shae Crisson, ABC 11 News
Thousands of families and social workers are fighting to stop budget cuts that could
have a big impact on their everyday lives. The Ashby family is one of thousands of families who say it's nearly impossible
to care for their disabled son 24-7 without some help. And the family says they fear that help may be going away. Stephen
Ashby, 14, has cerebral palsy and is unable to talk. Joe Sinsapaugh, Ashby's habilitation technician helps him with
everyday tasks and exercises to long term goals. "Seeing him be able to do things a little bit closer to normal
makes my heart sing," Stephen's mother Kim Ashby said. But her heart song may hit a sour note as the North Carolina
Department of Health and Human Services cuts its budget by $1.5 billion over the next 90 days as ordered by the General Assembly. "While
providers are going to be impacted, consumers to some degree will be impacted but we are trying to make the system stronger,
streamlined, better managed and better coordinated in the process," North Carolina DHHS Secretary Lanier Cansler said.
"My brother is deaf and autistic and has a little case of cerebral palsy," Sinsapaugh said. "It's just
so hard for us families and families that don't have children or people with disabilities have little to know understanding
of what that means." Some of Sinsapaugh's co-workers have already been let go. He says he hopes he doesn't lose
his job and more importantly that Ashby and his family don't lose him. Health and human services will release more details
about the exact cuts Wednesday to a legislative oversight committee. Families like the Ashby's and social workers and
mental health groups will be protesting outside. They'll be calling for a special session of the legislature asking
them to rethink the cuts once they can see the human impact.
Recent Photo's from our October
25th, 2008 Support Group Meeting... Special Guest: Dr. Cole
Bradburn Dr. Bradburn visited Special Blessings and explained
the importance of Chiropractic Care. Topic: "Sick Care versus Well Care" More information can be found at:
Trinity Chiropractic Wellness
 By Shae CrissonWAKE COUNTY (WTVD)
-- A new administration is promising big changes and better care for thousands of mental health patients treated in
state facilities. Luckey Welsh is two weeks on the job, but has 40 years of hospital administration experience. His
appointment comes after another patient fell, hit his head and was left unattended for a full day and died at cherry hospital
and other reports of patient abuse and staff arrests. "We have human beings, taking care of human beings and therefore
you have mistakes and sometimes you have people who really shouldn't be in their positions that should not be there,"
Welsh said. "Our job is going to be making sure we have the right people caring for the patients doing the best job they
can and I'll promise you that if we find those who should not be there, they will be moved out. That's going to be
our goal and our promise to the people." The Sinsapaugh family of Wake County say their 25-year-old
autistic son did not receive the proper care he needed while at a state mental health facility in Goldsboro. At the
age of 17, Roxanne Sinsapaugh says her son was allowed to bang his head on the O'Berry Center's wall and floor for
hours. She says he had an earache and couldn't communicate. "The pain is so excruciating he wants it out,"
Sinsapaugh said. "So, because he's nonverbal, because he's deaf, he's got all these other issues he's
dealing with, Shaun's a head-banger." She says he started banging his head at 1:30 a.m. and wasn't stopped
by staff and given medicine until 4 hours later. "I'm surprised he's alive," Sinsapaugh said. Eyewitness
News showed the new director of the state's 15 mental health and substance abuse facilities pictures of Shawn. "I
can tell you this is not what we're going to tolerate, this is not the kind of care we want to provide," Welsh said. It's
a promise that gives the Sinsapaugh family hope. "I'm excited about it," Sinsapaugh said. "I'm
hoping and I'm praying that we will continue to strengthen the system." They're hoping other families like
theirs will get the help and care they need. Sinsapaugh says instead of suing the state, she is working as an advocate
for children with disabilities and working with the state. (Copyright ©2009
WTVD-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
A Recent Article from the Arc of Texas...
Ignoring God's Children 12:00 AM CST on Saturday, November 15, 2008Clay Boatright is president of The Arc of Dallas, and serves on the board
of directors for The Arc of Texas.
It is startling to
see your life depicted on a television show, especially when that show is a top-rated crime drama. This week's episode of
Law & Order, titled "Challenged,"
showcased the challenges facing millions of American families, including mine. The plot revolved around Pete, a 47-year-old man with intellectual disabilities
who had been sent to a state institution by his parents when he was only 3. Willowbrook, the real-life New York institution
closed in 1987, was described as a "hell hole." Now living in a community home, Pete today enjoyed his unique group
of friends, diverse caregivers and the respect of his employer. This
episode's moral dilemma questioned parents who willingly place a child with disabilities in a state institution. It bitterly,
and quite accurately, described the immeasurable stress that disabilities bring to a family and the lack of support they receive. The writers, however, made one mistake.
Several times the dialogue referenced, "that's how things were done then," suggesting
times have changed. For many families, things have hardly changed at all. As the parents of 8-year-old identical twins with severe developmental disabilities, my wife and I have come face to face
with this moral dilemma. Our pediatrician recently told us that we should "prepare to place them somewhere" in the
next couple of years. In other words, he recommended we institutionalize our children.
This happened in 2008, not 1964. While many parents make this difficult decision, it does
not come easy. As reported in The Dallas Morning News, all 11 Texas "state schools" for people with developmental disabilities are currently under investigation
by the Department of Justice for alleged abuse. Most families want to stay together. However, as shown on Law & Order, the physical, emotional and financial strain on a family without support
can be insurmountable. Community-based services cost less than institutionalization, but Texas forces people with disabilities
to endure waiting lists for nearly a decade before receiving help. Not surprisingly, for families who can no longer go it
alone, there is no waiting required to place their child into our DOJ-investigated institutions. With almost 100,000
people on waiting lists, and more citizens institutionalized than in any other state, Texas ranks among the worst five states
in the nation for disability services. Collin County has the lowest per capita funding for people with developmental disabilities
in Texas. In cruel irony, Plano was recently named the wealthiest city in the United States. In other words, the most prosperous city in America is at the bottom
of the bottom for helping God's children most in need.
The lack of adequate care for people with
disabilities is pervasive. Earlier this week, local news aired video from a Dallas County school bus showing a driver choking
a student with disabilities. While most professional caregivers are compassionate, abuse is not isolated to certain areas,
just as it was not isolated to the 1960s.
Caring for people is a matter of choice. Our
state lawmakers can choose to end the waiting lists, while the federal government can chose to provide funds
to upgrade education, housing and employment options. Our schools can choose to improve staff training and provide quality
programs and supports. Our churches can choose to respond to God's word and "treat with special honor" those
he created differently.
While
these choices are not cheap, the costs pale in comparison to the destruction of families who have no choice at all.
Clay Boatright and his family live in Plano; his
e-mail address is clay@jnine3.org.
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