Clay Boatright, writing in the Dallas Morning News, says institutionalization and abuse against people with disabilities are not a thing of the past, as was implied by the script of a recent episode of Law & Order.

Families continue to face almost insurmountable physical, emotional and financial strains because of lack of support, he says, as they face years-long waiting lists to get community-based services for their loved ones. But there is no waiting list if people are willing to put their loved ones in institutions that are under federal investigation for alleged abuse.

An excerpt:

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.

… Caring for people is a matter of choice. Our state lawmakers can choose to end the waiting lists, while the federal government can choose 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 is president of The Arc of Dallas, and serves on the board of directors for The Arc of Texas.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Texas institutions, institutionalization, waiting list/waivers. 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.