From the Dallas Morning News:

Democrats in the Texas statehouse say they can’t wait for the state’s Republican leadership to investigate charges of abuse and neglect in Texas’ institutions for the mentally retarded, and have convened a legislative study group of their own.

Texas’ care for the disabled came under fire repeatedly this year, with reports of abuse and neglect at state institutions and group homes rivaling conditions in the state’s troubled juvenile justice system.

The scrutiny followed a scathing U.S. Justice Department report documenting civil rights violations and horrific living conditions at the Lubbock State School. In the months after that report, The Dallas Morning News documented widespread abuse and neglect at other state institutions for people with disabilities, and vile conditions and debilitating financial problems at dozens of midsize group homes in Dallas County.

Early this week, The News reported that the state’s waiting lists for in-home, or non-institutional, care now exceeds 100,000 people – with some families waiting up to a decade for services.

House Speaker Tom Craddick said last summer that curbing mistreatment of people with disabilities is a top priority for him, but has not taken action.

Another post is here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 at 1:04 pm and is filed under abuse, institutionalization, politics, waiting list. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post