Virginia Disabilities Deal Called `Historic,' but Historic for Whom? - wtvr

Excellent seed, Bitey! My heart goes out to the families that are struggling through this issue. I just don't see how people can meet the needs of their loved ones without these homes. When my Dad was in the final stages of ALS, it got to the point that it took 3 of us full time to care for him, and we were constantly having to adapt and learn new solutions and skills. But we knew it was for a limited time. We couldn't have done it long term.

Terrific seed and story, biteySis! Kudos to you and RV to post this up, keep this story in the eye, and for all you two do!

Kudos to Sam Brock as well! A trooper, to be sure!

I gotta say one thing tho, what a piece of work Hazell is! Just my own opinion/impression. "Slimy" sure comes to the fore. And I won't even get into the DoJ at this writing!

"Historic". Yea, right. The DoJ, the people there behind this mess, are way too caught up in their own senses of viability. When the typical responses of what is supposed to be "our government" acts as these clowns do, it's no longer "our government". Sad to say, but all too true.

But they sure don't like the glare of the cold and clear light of day and open publicity. Yet another shining (pun intended) example of our government in action.

I just hope beyond hope the final analysis becomes proper and effective and responsive care for those truly needing it, not the usual political footballing, which I for one have never seen a positive example result from it. Ever. Anywhere. I hope and hope and hope!

Bitey, thank you so much for keeping the good fire burning. I thought I'd share a rant that I wrote and adapted as a letter to the editor of the Washington Post following the Fredrick Kunkle article that Bitey seeded here. There's no indication that it will be published, but it does express my views as of now pretty succinctly.

My 40 year old son has autism and severe behavioral issues. Group home placement proved inadequate to ensure his safety and that of his housemates and his neighbors in the community. He has resided at the Northern Virginia Training Center since 1998. It has been home and community for him, not only protecting but greatly enriching his life.

Social services in Virginia are notoriously underfunded. There has always been fierce contention over the stingy allocation of resources. For example, in the early 1970s, autism was not a household word, and services for affected individuals were virtually nonexistent. Parents who pleaded for support were often asked, “Whom should we deprive of funding in order to assist you?” I suppose we were expected to crawl away with our tails between our legs. Today the strategy is the same. We hear from Secretary Hazel and Commissioner Stewart that the Commonwealth, which ranks among the top ten in the nation for median income, “cannot afford” to continue operating “two systems.” Two systems? This is the artificial wedge that the McDonnell administration seeks to drive between those who can and should be allies in support of a full continuum of services, one integrated system of care. Cannibalizing one side of the continuum to feed the other benefits no one.

The parents and associates of Virginia's Training Centers have always supported community based services for all who can benefit from them, and have never suggested that every person with an intellectual disability should be forced to live in a Training Center. Framing this travesty as a victory for civil rights is blatantly deceptive.

We all graduated from Kindergarten a long time ago. I for one am tired of watching the Department of Justice and the McDonnell administration point fingers at each other when in fact they have conspired together behind tightly closed doors to achieve their underlying objective of closing the Training Centers. In place of these excellent facilities, they propose to patch together in haste a new and untried system for which our most severely disabled and medically fragile citizens are expected to be the beta testers.

A pox upon both their houses.