Frida links

for the week 6/27/2008 to 7/4/2008

A caregiver at a group home in Fond du Lac County (Wisconsin) faces charges for the alleged sexual and physical abuse of female patient with developmental and physcial disabilities, according to the FDL Reporter.

Recent statistics indicate that the incidents of elder abuse in Canada may be grossly under reported and the actual victimization of the elderely may be closer to 10 per cent of its senior citizens, according to The Daily Observer.

The father of a ten-year-old disabled girl who died after she was scalded in a bathtub has been convicted of murder for failing to seek medical help for her for more than a week, CNN reports. The young girl, who was blind and had cerebral palsy, was burned after her father's partner placed her in a scalding bath.

Several charges have been filed against an Oakfield (Wisconsin) man accusing of sexually assaulting a 28-year-old woman with developmental and physical disabilities, it's reported here.

Australia's "sexual predator laws" have been broadened to include people with cognitive impairments, The Australian reports. Carers and others found committing sexual acts against people with cognitive impairments now face up to 10 years in jail.

State Senator Eric Kearney (D-Cincinnati) is introducing a bill that would grant people with disabilities protection under Ohio's hate crime law, it is reported here.

It's reported here that an investigation is underway into allegations that an employee at a Toledo (Ohio) home for people with developmental disabilities has been stealing money from patients.

According to Variety magazine, HBO is developing a one-hour drama based on the bestselling Terri Cheney book “Manic, A Memoir,” about a successful female attorney with bipolar disorder.

Around 1,000 people marched in downtown Dallas to advocate for people who are blind or have visual impairments, the Dallas Morning News reports. (h/t to PatriciaEBauer)

A recent court ruling that a rural Minnesota church may bar a teen with autism has stirred new debate about the proper role in society for people with disabilities, according these reports in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and USA Today. (h/t to PatriciaEBauer)