The promise of the ADA is not realized for disabled parents #ADA25
By Carrie Ann Lucas
Seventeen years ago, my oldest daughter was in foster care, and not returning to her parents. She is my biological niece. I contacted her social worker, and expressed interest in being a permanent placement for Heather. What commenced was a 16 month long battle to get custody of her. My daughter’s social worker was convinced “there is no way that handicapped woman can care for this handicapped child.” With a great deal of advocacy from myself and others, as well as a judge that was less discriminatory, Heather was eventually placed with me.
At that time, I had been a classroom teacher for 7 years, teaching middle school and elementary students. I was teaching part-time, working part time as a youth pastor, and part time for a disability rights organization as an advocate. I had recently completed my master’s degree. I had spent my entire adult life at that point working with children. I was being denied custody solely due to my disability.
My story had a happy ending. Heather eventually came home, it’s been over 15 years, and she is doing fabulously.
I knew however, if I were having these issues, a well-educated mostly white woman, I knew other parents didn’t stand a chance when child protection systems have a target on them. I then went to law school, and now my legal practice specializes in representing parents with disabilities who are involved in child protection cases, and disability based child custody cases.
Disabled parents are highly over-represented in child welfare cases. In my court appointment cases, which are made at random, over 80% of my clients have disabilities. Disabled people are less than 20% of the overall population. Almost every single one of these parents have child protection involvement due to neglect, not abuse. Most of the alleged neglect is a result of poverty...
Read the full story at Disability Pride.
http://www.disabilitypride.com/2015/07/24/the-promise-of-the-ada-is-not-realized-for-disabled-parents-ada25/
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