Concern over current plans to close some of the few remaining developmental centers in California stems in large part from the differences in care and services between the State-run centers and regional centers, where residents are transferred as State services are consolidated, downsized and eliminated.
Edward Lempinen wrote a series of articles for the San Francisco Chronicle in the late 1990s that brought attention to the downside of being moved to regional centers for many developmentally disabled people. (see: SF Chronicle coverage of developmental center news and issues from 1997-1998) Unfortunately, the issues spotlighted by Lempinen in his award-winning articles persist today.
Ana Mettler put a human face on all of these concerns and various reports when she related the story of her son Carsten on the VOR website. Carsten's journey to Sonoma Developmental Center illustrates the need for care beyond what a family can provide, the limits of care available from regional centers - at least for Carsten, and the benefits available to Carsten at Sonoma Developmental Center.
We're not sure when this story first appeared on the VOR website, but we thank Ana Mettler for telling it. And we're glad Carsten found a home at Sonoma Developmental Center. We are also determined that Carsten and others with developmental disabilities will always have the option of care from developmental centers in California.
No comments:
Post a Comment