Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Interesting Study on Charter Schools and People with Disabilities in New York State

Excerpt from: Disability Law (click for full article)

 

The Center on Reinventing Public Education yesterday put out this report evaluating the enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools in New York State.  It's well known that on average charter schools in New York enroll fewer students with disabilities than do district-run public schools.  This report attempts to disaggregate the data a bit to try to figure out what is going on.  The results are interesting, though more suggestive of areas for future research than conclusive of anything.  Here are the study's findings (the second and third findings are the key ones):

1.)The statewide difference in charter and district enrollment is too simplistic of a comparison

2.) Charter middle and high school enrollments are indistinguishable from district enrollments

3.) Charter elementary schools show underenrollment

4.) There is also variation among charter authorizers

USDOJ/OPA sues San Jacinto, Calif. for discrimination

Excerpt from: The Examiner (click for full article)

 

According to a press release dated Nov. 13, 2012, the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jacinto, Calif., alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act based on its treatment of group homes for persons with disabilities. This lawsuit is part of the Justice Department’s continuing effort to enforce civil rights laws that require states and municipalities to end discrimination against, and unnecessary segregation of, persons with disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that the city has impermissibly restricted the ability of group homes for people with disabilities to operate within the city. Under the city’s zoning code, group homes that are not required to be licensed by the state, as well as some licensed homes, are not permitted uses in any zoning district within the city, and their ability to operate in multi-family zones is restricted. The United States’ lawsuit further alleges that the city targeted housing for persons with disabilities for enforcement actions, including a November 2008 sweep in which city and county officials, including armed and uniformed police officers and sheriff’s deputies, appeared at homes unannounced and interrogated residents with disabilities from a prepared questionnaire that included intrusive questions targeted to persons with mental disabilities. The complaint also alleges that the city has conditioned the grant of reasonable accommodations on the adoption of unwarranted limitations on the residents of homes for persons with disabilities.

Chris Rickert: Disabled man's murder delivers message for all

Excerpt from: Wisconsin State Journal (click for full article)

 

The 27-year-old from Mazomanie was found buried in a makeshift grave last week, allegedly tortured and murdered four months earlier by the half-brother he idolized. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said it was one of the most tragic cases he’s seen in 33 years.

Matthew Graville, who had a mild form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome, was “loving” and “kind,” his mother, Vicki Graville, said, but also “gullible.

“His main problems were making choices, making bad decisions,” she told me.

It is impossible not to be affected by the mental picture she painted of Graville as a grade-school student taking his coat off in the winter so other children could pelt him with ice and snowballs. He liked the attention, she said.

Worse, his classmates liked to give it to him.

Graville’s death is a reminder of how hard it can be for the disabled to find safe harbor among us so-called “normal” folks. But hopefully, it can also serve as a reminder of how rewarding it can be to provide it.

The 27-year-old from Mazomanie was found buried in a makeshift grave last week, allegedly tortured and murdered four months earlier by the half-brother he idolized. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said it was one of the most tragic cases he’s seen in 33 years.

Matthew Graville, who had a mild form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome, was “loving” and “kind,” his mother, Vicki Graville, said, but also “gullible.

“His main problems were making choices, making bad decisions,” she told me.

It is impossible not to be affected by the mental picture she painted of Graville as a grade-school student taking his coat off in the winter so other children could pelt him with ice and snowballs. He liked the attention, she said.

Worse, his classmates liked to give it to him.

Graville’s death is a reminder of how hard it can be for the disabled to find safe harbor among us so-called “normal” folks. But hopefully, it can also serve as a reminder of how rewarding it can be to provide it.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/chris_rickert/chris-rickert-disabled-man-s-murder-delivers-message-for-all/article_5b05768e-2b54-11e2-9c9b-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz2CnQJR1Cz

The 27-year-old from Mazomanie was found buried in a makeshift grave last week, allegedly tortured and murdered four months earlier by the half-brother he idolized. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said it was one of the most tragic cases he’s seen in 33 years.

Matthew Graville, who had a mild form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome, was “loving” and “kind,” his mother, Vicki Graville, said, but also “gullible.

“His main problems were making choices, making bad decisions,” she told me.

It is impossible not to be affected by the mental picture she painted of Graville as a grade-school student taking his coat off in the winter so other children could pelt him with ice and snowballs. He liked the attention, she said.

Worse, his classmates liked to give it to him.

Graville’s death is a reminder of how hard it can be for the disabled to find safe harbor among us so-called “normal” folks. But hopefully, it can also serve as a reminder of how rewarding it can be to provide it.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/chris_rickert/chris-rickert-disabled-man-s-murder-delivers-message-for-all/article_5b05768e-2b54-11e2-9c9b-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz2CnQJR1Cz

Woman sentenced to 69 months in prison for abuse of disabled daughter

Excerpt from: pnj.com (click for full article)

 

The woman who deemed it acceptable to punish her mentally disabled daughter by forcing her to wear heavy pieces of plywood that said “I am a liar and a theif (sic)” and to help stitch a head wound with a common needle and thread screamed and fell to the floor as the judge sentenced her to 69 months in state prison.

Hale, 59, was one of three people who participated in the abuse of the woman, discovered by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in April.

At the time, the daughter, whose name is being withheld by the News Journal, was found sobbing, wearing pink fur-covered handcuffs, bleeding from the mouth and wearing the large wooden signs.

Teen With Autism Prevails In Mainstreaming Dispute

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

A 13-year-old with autism will be allowed to attend his neighborhood middle school after waging an online protest against a school district plan to segregate him.

Henry Frost took to social media after his Tampa, Fla.-area school district insisted that he attend a special program for students with disabilities rather than the school located just yards from his house.

In an online petition asking school officials to reconsider, Frost said that the district told him he would need to take tests and demonstrate that he could climb the building’s stairs, among other requirements, before he could attend his local school. Frost garnered more than 4,000 supporters on Facebook along with over 6,500 signatures on the petition and now the school district appears to have backed down.

After 14 hours of meetings, Frost’s family said he will be allowed to attend his neighborhood school and will have the assistance of an aide and other accommodations in the new placement, reports NPR StateImpact Florida.

Wait in hospital for long-term care bed 'isolated' elderly man

Excerpt from: CBC News (click for full article)

 

A Thunder Bay woman whose father is one of dozens of people stuck in hospital says the waiting time for long-term care in the city is unacceptable.

For the last 10 months, Alice Villa's dad's home has been a bed in the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s surgical unit.

Lionel Trodd was first admitted for surgery a year ago. By last January, the 82-year-old had recovered, but couldn't go home because he needed extensive health-care support for his Parkinson's disease.

Villa said her father was already on a waiting list for long-term care facilities before he was admitted to hospital.

She thought he'd be discharged to a long-term care home within a couple of months, but "the reality is that there was no place available for him.”

Trodd has been living in the hospital ever since.

"He's ... really very isolated,” Villa said. “Other than … family members coming in, he has basically … the cleaning staff and a rotating number of ... nurses that come in and help him with his daily needs."

 

 

Texas Judge Who Beat His Daughter Is Reinstated To Bench

Excerpt from: NPR (click for full article)

 

There was outrage across the nation last November when video of a 2004 beating that a local judge in Texas gave to his 16-year-old daughter went viral.

Within days, Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams was suspended by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

This week, he was reinstated to the bench, the Houston Chronicle reports. The beating occurred too long ago to bring a criminal case against Adams, so that limited the steps the commission could take. But, according to CBS News:

"In its one-page order Tuesday, the Texas Supreme Court approved an agreement between Adams and the commission lifting the suspension. As part of the arrangement, Adams waived his right to appeal [a Sept. 6] warning, which is essentially a public reprimand with no other consequences. ... Also, Adams may no longer preside over the physical domestic abuse cases that previously comprised much of his court docket."

He's up for re-election in 2014.

Adams previously defended his actions, saying he had been "disciplining" Hillary Adams.

Hillary and her mother (now divorced from Judge Adams) said the beatings happened regularly. And Hillary, who has cerebral palsy, said that while she waited until she was an adult to release the videotape she took that step to protect her younger sister and to inform Texas voters about her father's actions.

7 questions to ask when looking for a home care agency

Excerpt from: Inside Tuscon Business (click for full article)

 

When a home care worker goes bad, it’s big news. Elder abuse, raided bank accounts, vanishing heirlooms — these events make splashy headlines.

But if someone in your family needs help with bathing, cooking, getting in and out of bed or other activities of daily living to continue living safely at home, you may need home care services regardless of the headlines. Your job is to find the best provider.

In Arizona most health facilities — including hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and home health agencies (which provide skilled nursing and therapy care) — are licensed and monitored by the state Department of Health Services.

Home care agencies are licensed in 23 states but in Arizona it’s buyer beware. Here, agencies need only a business license. The state has no say in how well they serve their clients — until a client becomes a victim, and by then it’s a police matter.

Replacing scary headlines with solid information can help assure that a safe, qualified worker is placed in the home. As you shop for a home care agency, here are some questions to ask:

• How do you screen applicants? Expect a current fingerprint card from the Department of Public Safety, a background check including driving and credit histories, verified references, and current CPR training and TB test.

• Is your staff formally trained? Training needs vary. A companion-only placement doesn’t require formal training, but dementia and other conditions may call for certified nursing assistant or caregiver certification. In Tucson, Pima Community College and the CareGiver Training Institute offer certification classes at different levels.

• What experience do your caregivers have? Caregivers can gain experience by working at formal nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home care agencies or private placements.

• How are your caregivers supervised? The agency should provide in-home supervisory visits to make sure medical protocols are being followed, the client-caregiver relationship is appropriate, agreed-upon tasks are being done and the client is satisfied.

• What insurance does your company have? Look for worker’s compensation (in case the caregiver is injured on duty), liability insurance (in case the client is injured), and bonding or third-party theft insurance.

• What if a caregiver misses a shift? The agency should have a staff member on call at all times in case a caregiver doesn’t show up for work, a problem arises during the shift or the client’s health changes suddenly.

• Do you require a contract? If so, run. You should be able to cancel a service with 24 hours notice.

Last Will and Embezzlement

Excerpt from: Terra Nova Films (click for more information)

 

"Of all the illegal and illicit enterprises in the world, elder exploitation is among the safest and most profitable.  It's a criminal's dream..." - from the DVD

Financial elder abuse can happen to anyone...anywhere...anytime.  These facts lay the groundwork for this riveting film as it exposes the global problem of financial elder abuse and its growing impact on a rapidly-aging population.  It identifies why many older adults become vulnerable, tactics perpetrators use to gain trust, and what families and professionals can do to help protect loved ones and older adults in their care from financial abuse.

It also documents two hard-to-forget stories of exploitation:

• Producer Pamela S. K. Glasner shares how her parents' life savings were embezzled by a man who insinuated himself into their lives, and her attempts to set things right.
• Hollywood icon, Mickey Rooney, tells how he lost millions of dollars through a trusted family member.

A must-see resource for seniors, baby boomers, their adult children, caregivers and service providers in all disciplines and walks of life.

 This is a Single-site license item - each organization/location must purchase its own copy.

Exclusively distributed by Terra Nova Films.

Release date 2012

Bullied Girl With Special Needs Finds Unlikely Defenders

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

When Chy Johnson, who has a brain disorder, faced a torrent of bullies, she found an unexpected set of heroes in her high school’s football team.

Johnson, 16, came home from school crying every day after classmates picked on her because of her differences, even throwing trash at her. Fed up, Johnson’s mom reached out to a family friend in hopes of identifying the girl’s tormentors.

Instead, that friend — Carson Jones — took action. As a senior on the Queen Creek, Ariz. school’s varsity football team, Jones rallied the squad to support Johnson, inviting her to eat lunch with them and watching out for her during the school day.

The team’s efforts have made all the difference. “They save me because I won’t get hurt again,” Johnson told KTVK in Phoenix. “They’re not mean to me, because all my boys love me.”