Over this past year I have increasing represented families whose children need residential placements. While I have no illusions that simply placing a child in residential is the answer to all prayers, it is almost always a the final culmination of years of trying less restrictive placements. Despite what too many school personnel think, residential placements are not an effort to rid the family of a troubling child, but rather to save the child so he or she can have a life and a real connection with the family.
One family I represented the student was openly homicidal, but according to the school that was only at home so there was no educationally-relevant need. Unfortunately the majority of cases (and I have researched this topic thoroughly) do not consider home-based issues of primary relevance in making a residential placement decision. I think of this case often and hope not to see his name in the paper in connection with a homicide at school or at home. Remarkably the private day school where was placed described him as sterling citizen in the school. This description and the overall stance seemed to be about keeping him in the private day school and the funding that went along with his placement. I lost all respect for that staff that day!
The even more troubling situation is when students age out of residential placements. Most residential schools do not serve students over the age of 18. Moreover, as described in the video clip below, states are increasingly cutting back on funding any residential placement even though this placement is mandated under IDEIA. To paraphrase my long standing reader of this blog, Daunna Minnich, schools view students one way when they are young children but take and entirely different view when they are 18 and above. She squarely is confronting the hard and incredibly frightening reality of raising an adult with severe developmental disabilities with little or no resources. Planning is a nightmare in the best of economic times; these are obviously not even those times. Creative juggling of time and money only goes so far, when basic issues of safety and supervision are the essential issues. Daunna eloquently and painfully puts a spot light on the reality of adults with developmental disability. I am deeply grateful to Daunna and PBS [click here for the video] for laying out the stark reality. Now politicians need to act and reorder our collective priorities so people are in fact put first.
I, too, am grateful to PBS and the Need to Know program. Americans cannot care about people or issues they are not exposed to.
Giving up privacy on TV isn't comfortable, but guarding privacy maintains the status quo. This PBS story is a gift to families and advocates, a gift we'll want to pass on to governors and legislators who Need to Know.
Posted by: Daunna Minnich | January 23, 2011 at 10:34 AM
Our Developmental Disabilities Coordinator told me on a recent home visit that (due to funding cuts) cases where the parents are dying or are too sick to care for their child with a disability have first priority. So, my son will likely be living with me until I'm dead or in the nursing home. So, I pray that he will always be manageable and reasonably happy and that I will live to a ripe old age........
Posted by: Sue Keller | April 01, 2011 at 09:14 PM