Editorial writers in the [Corpus Christi] Caller-Times say the rampant abuse at Texas state schools and the lack of funding to oversee the facilities should prompt Texans to consider alternatives for people with disabilities.

An excerpt:

… There must be a long-term plan that gives severely disabled Texans more access to community-based homes, an alternative setting where residents live in smaller and less restricted populations, often no more than a dozen residents. Presently, some 40,000 Texans are on waiting lists for openings at such community-based facilities.

Texas is, in fact, one of the few states with such a large system of institutions for the mentally and physically handicapped. The term “state school” is in fact misleading; these are state institutions where in the best circumstances the residents make their homes and are given nursing care and participate in recreational activities.

But in the worst scenario, these institutions border on being human warehouses where, outside of immediate family, it is too easy to allow these most vulnerable Texans be out of sight and thus out of mind.

Earlier posts here.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 am and is filed under abuse, institutionalization, Texas institutions. 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.