Two school district workers are on leave while police investigate the drowning of a young girl with autism

From The Associated Press (via The Mercury News)

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.—The Palm Springs school district says two of its workers are on paid leave pending results of a criminal investigation into the drowning of a 5-year-old autistic girl.

Elva Lerma and Sixto Mitre were among the three coaches supervising Anyah Raven Glossinger on Jan. 23 when she was pulled from a mineral pool while undergoing hydrotherapy.

Glossinger, who was legally blind and had low-functioning autism, was taking part in the United Cerebral Palsy's Little Bridges after-school program.

Desert Hot Springs police Sgt. Radames Gil said his department is investigating the girl's death and will forward findings to the Riverside County District Attorney.

The California Department of Social Services shut down the Little Bridges Program in April.

'Mad Pride' fights a stigma

That's the title of this informative story in The New York Times that explores the growing "mad pride" movement, which aims to fight the stigma of, and deepen the understanding of, serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Here is an excerpt:

"Until now, the acceptance of mental illness has pretty much stopped at depression," said Charles Barber, a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. "But a newer generation, fueled by the Internet and other sophisticated delivery systems, is saying, 'We deserve to be heard, too.' "

About 5.7 million Americans over 18 have bipolar disorder, which is classified as a mood disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Another 2.4 million have schizophrenia, which is considered a thought disorder. The small slice of this disparate population who have chosen to share their experiences with the public liken their efforts to those of the gay-rights and similar movements of a generation ago.

Just as gay-rights activists reclaimed the word queer as a badge of honor rather than a slur, these advocates proudly call themselves mad; they say their conditions do not preclude them from productive lives.

Mad pride events, organized by loosely connected groups in at least seven countries including Australia, South Africa and the United States, draw thousands of participants, said David W. Oaks, the director of MindFreedom International, a nonprofit group in Eugene, Ore., that tracks the events and says it has 10,000 members.

There's lots more to read. And The Huffington Post followed the Times story with this article called Glad to be Mad: Mentally Ill start 'Mad Pride' Movement. It includes links to some of the YouTube videos produced by the movement's unofficial spokesperson, Liz Spikol, who also blogs about mental health and illness at Trouble with Spikol.

(PS. I found the links to both stories at Trouble with Spikol)

A man pleads guilty to sexually abusing a young girl with intellectual disabilities

Gerard Schlaiss, 51, of Wheaton, Illinois, has been sentenced to thirty six years in prison for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl with intellectual disabilities.

According to this report in the Naperville Sun, Schlaiss sexually abused the girl, who lived in his apartment complex, over a three-year period. Schlaiss was 33 years old at the time of the abuse.

UNICEF welcomes the ratification of the UN Disabilities Convention

The children's agency launches "It's About Ability," a publication for children on the Convention.
Read more here.

For a BBC news story about the United Nation's celebration of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), click here.

Sexual abuse by caregivers

I wish I could say this isn't true.

From this AP story in the Herald Bulletin

A Muncie couple has been accused of sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled woman in their care for more than 13 years, according to the Star Press of Muncie.

Patricia Ann Tackett, 47, was arrested this week on a preliminary charge of sexual misconduct with a minor. Her husband, Duane Ray Tackett, 48, was taken into custody Wednesday on preliminary charges of sexual misconduct with a minor, criminal deviate conduct and child solicitation.

Both were being held without bond in the Delaware County jail Wednesday.

A break in the case came when the alleged victim, now 27, told an aunt of repeated sexual encounters with Duane Tackett during a 13-year period. Patricia Tackett also admitted participating in the sex crimes.

Although she is 27, police believe the alleged victim has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old. Sgt. Linda Cook of the Muncie Police Department’s sex crimes unit called it the “most bizarre case” of sexual misconduct she has ever seen.

FRIDA links

for the week 5/2/2008 to 5/9/2008

Lots of newspapers reported on Haleigh Poutre, a 14-year-old Massachesetts girl who is now communicating to investigators, using simple words and hand gestures, that her adoptive mother and stepfather, Holli and Jason Strickland, regularly physically abused her. But she has been unable to say anything about what put her into a coma. Poutre, who was initially diagnosed as being in an "irreversible vegetative state" after sustaining severe injuries to her brain from alleged parental abuse, has been in a children's rehab hospital in Boston for the last two years. Jason Strickland is awaiting trial on child abuse charges. Holli Strickland was killed by her grandmother, who then took her own life, shortly after she was charged. More here ....

An East Fishkill man (White Plains, Westchester County, New York) who worked as an overnight aide at a group home will serve six months in jail for sexually abusing a woman with intellectual disabilities who lived in the home, according to this report in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

An Irish woman who became disabled in an accident has been awarded compensation after her employers refused to let her return to work, according to this story from the BBC.

According to the Houston Chronicle, states record show that about a quarter of the 800 employees fired or suspended for mistreating residents at Texas's state schools for people with intellectual disabilities worked at two state schools targeted by federal investigators: these are the Lubbock and Denton state schools. State records also show that nearly 58 per cent of the firings or suspensions came from four of the 13 state schools: Lubbock, Denton, San Angelo and Mexia.

Several men accused of raping and assaulting a women with learning difficulties will not be prosecuted because she is considered to be an "unreliable witness," according to this report in the UK's guardian.

A Marblehead man has been charged with raping a woman with Down syndrome, The Salem News reports.

"Attitudes towards children with disabilities need improvement, parents say," is the title of this story from CBC news, Canada.

"Scandal of elderly people tortured in homes" is the title of this report in the UK's Mirror.

"5,000 complaints a month over care home abuse fears" is the title of this story in the UK's Daily Mail.

A Glen Ellyn man has been sentenced to 36 years in prison for sexually abusing a intellectually impaired girl on six occasions before his arrest in September, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Pity-Based Economy

That's the title and the subject of this post by the blogger at NTs Are Weird: An Autistic's View of the World.

It's a compelling read, and the comments are great too.

Advocates for people with developmental disabilities say law enforcement could have done more to prevent the repeated gang rape of a intellectually impaired man

From this story in the South Coast Today

NEW BEDFORD - Advocates for the developmentally disabled say law enforcement authorities could have done more to prevent the repeated gang rapes of a mentally handicapped man.

Suspect Buddy E. Smith, 22, of Fall River, as well as an uncle of Mr. Smith and several friends who are still at large, stalked, kidnapped and raped the mentally retarded man more than a dozen times from 2004 to 2007, prosecutors say. Mr. Smith and his friends also engaged in a campaign of threats and intimidation to keep the Tiverton, R.I., man from reporting the crimes, prosecutors said.

"This is the worst alleged case of sustained abuse of a person with mental retardation in New England since the Raynham 'House of Horrors' was exposed more than 10 years ago," said Colleen Lutkevich, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition of Families and Advocates for the Retarded.

COFAR officials have been working with the victim's relatives since they reached out to the organization last summer. The group has been monitoring the ongoing court proceedings against Mr. Smith, and has been critical of how law enforcement initially handled the case.

COFAR officials claim the Fall River Police Department refused to take a report when the victim's family approached them in January 2006 because the victim was developmentally disabled.

Ashley X Impact on Hospital Policy

Systems change from the Ashley X case rolls on! Please see the message from Jessica McDaneld below for an update on the work of Washington State's Protection and Advocacy Agency, Disability Rights Washington. The hospital that "treated" Ashley X set up new policies as described at the link below.

In solidarity for the protection of our human rights,
Amber

From: Jessica McDaneld
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:26 PM
To: Jessica McDaneld
Subject: Ashley Treatment Listserv Update: New information on DR-WA.org

Hello all,

Disability Rights Washington has recently added some new information to its website about the Ashley Treatment Investigation. Visit http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/news-1/ashley-treatment-investigation to see the whole page, or read the updated information below.

We have received a number of requests for information about ways hospitals can help protect the rights of people with disabilities. For a general example, please review the following policies created by the hospital that performed the original procedure to see how they have incorporated the perspective of people with disabilities into their ethics committee, and what safeguards they have put in place to ensure court orders are obtained before sterilizing or limiting the growth of children with disabilities. For answers to specific questions or to get further information on how you can get involved, please contact DRW at 1-800-562-2702.

"Shoving us off the lifeboat in a pandemic"

That's the title of Steve Drake's (Not Dead Yet) response to this story by the Associated Press yesterday which reports on a list of recommendations/guidelines that a panel have drafted for which patients doctors shouldn't treat (should let die) in the event of a pandemic or other disaster.

If hospitals were to follow the recommendations to a tee, those patients that wouldn't be treated during a pandemic include:

- people older than 85
- those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.
- severely burned patients older than 60.
- those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease.
- those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.

Here is a link to the AP story. And here is a link to Steve Drake's response.

"Acceptance and expectation of abuse and neglect in state hospitals are a large part of the problem"

That's the title of this post by the blogger Hymes in response to the Associated Press article about the systemic abuse and neglect of patients in Texas state hospitals.

And here is another post about it, titled "Happy happy joy joy ... uh ... maybe not," by Liz Spikol, who blogs about mental illness policy and news at Trouble with Spikol.

Both posts about this important issue are recommended reading.

In Memoriam: Harlan Hahn (1939 - 2008)

There are numerous posts this morning reporting on the death of activist Harlan D. Hahn, a leading authority on disability rights and a faculty member at University of Southern California College for 35 years. He was 68. Although I didn't know him personally, many of his articles have been required reading during my feminist-disability studies graduate coursework.

Here are some links to some of Harlan Hahn's on-line writings (via Penny Richards at Disability Studies, Temple University):

"Toward a Politics of Disability: Definitions, Disciplines, and Policies"
"Good Jobs, Good Benefits (but not for disabled workers)" at Ragged Edge (2006)
"Love, Sex, and Disability: Maintaining Interest and Intimacy" (transcript of a conference appearance with Sharon Bacharach)

And a link to a USC Public Relations remembrance by Pamela J. Johnson.

Finally, Beth Haller over at Media Dis&dat has posted this recollection.

RIP, Harlan Hahn.

Abuse and neglect are systemic in Texas' psychiatric hospitals

From stories in the Dallas News, the Associated Press and the Texas Observer

Last year, one state mental hospital employee tackled an adolescent patient who was sobbing for his mother, dragging him across the floor by his wrists and hair.

The year before, another brought a female patient into a hospital bathroom and sexually abused her.

And dozens more have participated in brutal beatings at the psychiatric hospitals since 2005, employee disciplinary reports show - using chokeholds, headlocks and threats of violence to restrain patients under their watch.

In all, 72 employees across Texas' 10 state mental hospitals have been fired in the last three years for allegations of physical abuse, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of state personnel records. Hundreds more have been terminated for other violations, the records show, from sleeping on the job to over-medicating mentally ill patients.

Read more .....