AFS Cinema
Difficult Choices
RECEIVED Wed., June 10, 2015
Dear Editor,
[Regarding "Austin State Supported Living Center to Stay Open," News, June 5]: I am the adoptive parent of a 32-year-old intellectually disabled male. James has lived with us since he was 10 months old. I am 73 and my wife is 65. Because of the lack of funds, James cannot move to a group home nearby to us while we are still able to help him make the transition.
I am empathic with families that have relatives in state run schools, change is always difficult. However, there can be little doubt that the community model is far superior in terms of dollars spent to care for a client and overall quality of life for the individuals.
Since we either can't or won't provide funds to care for all of this portion of our people, we have to face this problem now. The waiting list is growing. The time for hard decisions is at hand. You do the math; the data is available. Your newspaper's empathy for those that are faced with change if their school is closed is admirable, but life is filled with difficult choices. Sometimes we are faced with choosing the lesser of two unattractive options. I ask you to take a hard look at this issue and consider those of us “waiting” on the waiting list.
[Regarding "Austin State Supported Living Center to Stay Open," News, June 5]: I am the adoptive parent of a 32-year-old intellectually disabled male. James has lived with us since he was 10 months old. I am 73 and my wife is 65. Because of the lack of funds, James cannot move to a group home nearby to us while we are still able to help him make the transition.
I am empathic with families that have relatives in state run schools, change is always difficult. However, there can be little doubt that the community model is far superior in terms of dollars spent to care for a client and overall quality of life for the individuals.
Since we either can't or won't provide funds to care for all of this portion of our people, we have to face this problem now. The waiting list is growing. The time for hard decisions is at hand. You do the math; the data is available. Your newspaper's empathy for those that are faced with change if their school is closed is admirable, but life is filled with difficult choices. Sometimes we are faced with choosing the lesser of two unattractive options. I ask you to take a hard look at this issue and consider those of us “waiting” on the waiting list.
Mitchell Watkins