Column: ‘What to do with Louie?’
February 7th, 2009
Young adult has no state aid, no place to go
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg writes about Louie Herrera, a 22-year-old man with Down syndrome who is unfortunate enough to live in Illinois — the state that ranks dead last in providing community services for people with disabilities.
Scarce Illinois resources are focused on large facilities, and even those are hard to get. People with disabilities who are trying to find whatever help is available in Illinois go on a waiting list to be evaluated. That waiting list currently has 16,000 names on it.
… The struggle between a system that favors large institutions and the trend toward small community homes is a central concern for the disabled community.
“This is not just about service, not just about a system that supports institutionalization vs. community living,” says Marca Bristo, CEO of Access Living, a Chicago advocacy group for the disabled. “This is at the heart of our civil rights struggle.”
(Chicago Sun-Times photo)
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February 9th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
This should be a wakeup call for every parent or caretaker to begin looking into what housing options are available in their state as early as possible.
I’m just surprised that no one in Illinois has made this an issue before and why it’s only surfacing now in 2009.
It is unfortunate that the family waited until the last minute instead of working with advocacy agencies to create an awareness about private or group home housing needs for Louie’s future and others like him, when Louie was younger.
I am aware of already 4 different housing situations in our community and my daughter is only 14. I have zeroed in on MR/dd, LADD, and several other private-group home options to make sure they’ll still be around when my daughter is ready to transition.
You better believe that you’ll hear about me in the news if something happens in Ohio where our housing options are limited to only institutions.
That will be our governor’s very last term.
February 9th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Louis’ story is all-too common in Illinois. Help change our state’s broken system for developmental disability services by visiting http://www.gettoknowtheblue.org to download and send in a petition!
We need more access to community living options in Illinois!
February 8th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
This is terrible! We should be not going backwards in time to take care of our citizens. People with disabilities need various services and it doesn’t have to be in big home institutes either. Where’s the moral of that state? And hoping that other states don’t follow the trend. We do not need less services we need more or equal value. I agree it’s not just about services it’s about our civil rights being violated.
Let us not go backwards but forwards.