From the Waco [Texas] Tribune-Herald:

Jacque Beavers, the mother of a woman who lives at the Mexia State School, opposes the closing of the state’s institutions and says her daughter would have no place to go if the facility were closed.

An excerpt:

Julie has lived at Mexia State School since 1976. Someone must diaper, bathe, dress, feed, and care for her every need.

Julie must be moved by two employees using a harness and mechanical lift device from her bed to the bath, dining room, and to her very large wheelchair many times daily.

Could you care for a person in this condition? I cared for Julie for 12 years. The task got so overwhelming I could no longer do it. The best place for my daughter is the place where she now resides.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

New Jersey lawmakers should move ahead with a proposal to eliminate warehouse-style institutional care for the developmentally disabled and move them to community settings.

New Jersey Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) has drafted a proposal to close five of the state’s seven developmental centers within five years. About 80 percent of that population, or almost 2,000 people with developmental disabilities, would be moved to group homes or shared apartments.

Critics … say the proposal limits the number of options for the disabled. But it actually offers a more attractive option for many who have spent most of their lives institutionalized and shut off from society.

… Greenwald’s proposal has the right intent and strikes the right balance. Lawmakers should move forward with the plan. The developmentally disabled deserve a chance to improve their quality of life.

See earlier posts here and here.

From the [Norfolk] Virginian-Pilot:

Gov. Tim Kaine is heading in the right direction this year with a plan to close the Southeastern Virginia Training Center in Chesapeake, but he must be careful to avoid excessive speed.

…  Kaine’s plan to close the center by the end of June appears to be impractical, and he must quickly present legislators with a detailed explanation on how and where he will relocate each resident.

… Kaine and legislators are right to look for opportunities for mental health reform even in the darkest budget years. But if hasty plans result in residents simply being switched from one institution to another one farther from their families, then that opportunity will have been badly bungled.

See also:

• Va. gov’s plan for mentally retarded hits snag — AP/[Newport News] Daily Press
• Delegates hope to slow training center’s closure — Virginian-Pilot

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Hundreds of parents pleaded with Virginia legislators yesterday not to cut state matching grants that allow them keep their children with intellectual disabilities out of institutions.

Currently, there is a 1,200-person waiting list for those grants, called waivers. Virginia’s General Assembly last year added funding for 600 more waivers, but Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is now proposing to cut funding for about 200 of them. The proposed cuts would save about $12 million; the state faces a budget deficit of $3.2 billion.

Experts say the 600 slots added last year were needed just to keep the waiting list from growing. The waivers match state assistance to federal money, allowing people with intellectual disabilities to live at home or in a group residence rather than in institutions.

With video.

See also:

Capitol rally backs Virginia autism insurance bill — Norfolk Virginian Pilot

Assembly looks at insurance for autism — Roanoke Times

Earlier post here.

From the Press of Atlantic City and the East Brunswick Home News Tribune, editorial praise for a proposal to close five of New Jersey’s state-run institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The opposition to this plan has been painfully parochial. Unions and state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, have voiced criticism because jobs will be lost if developmental centers are closed (although [Assemblyman Louis] Greenwald, D-Camden, says some of those workers would be redeployed to community residences).

Jobs, of course, are always an issue, particularly in this economy. But are Van Drew and the others really suggesting that New Jersey’s policy for caring for the disabled should be determined by how many state jobs are created?

The goal should be the most humane, effective — and cost-effective — care. New Jersey desperately needs more community-based alternatives for the disabled. Greenwald is on the right track and deserves praise for even tackling this often-ignored issue.

From Marketwire/MSNBC:

YouTube and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting announce that “Abilities,” a short film made by Arturo Perez, Jr. about a community of people with disabilities, has won the online video journalism competition, Project: Report.

The program attracted hundreds of journalists from around the world for a competition that called for short, high quality videos focused on stories that are not typically covered by the traditional media.

Perez’s winning video explores the lives of the residents of Camphill, a community near Santa Cruz, California. At Camphill, adults with developmental disabilities live, learn and work together with professional caregivers and volunteers.

Perez will receive a $10,000 grant and the opportunity to report on an issue of global importance.

View the video here.

(Video still from “Abilities.”)

From the Greenville [SC] News:

A state audit has found that the South Carolina agency that oversees services for people with developmental disabilities has not been adequately following up on health and safety risks at residential facilities.

The audit by the state’s Legislative Audit Council said the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs reviews the quality of its adult residential facilities only about one-third as frequently as other states, and didn’t adequately follow up when it found such potential health and safety risks as expired food, missing smoke detectors and water heaters set too hot.

It also said the department lacks sufficient independent quality reviews of residential facilities, and said the practice of licensing some of its own facilities poses a conflict of interest that “can impede objective reviews.”