I am a student studying social work at the University of Vermont. I am looking into VT's current child/family welfare and child protection policies as they apply to parents with disabilities. Specifically, I am looking to see how parents with disabilities are or are not represented in VT's policies.

Does anyone out there have experience or knowledge of this issue in VT?

Thanks, Pete Cudney

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Answers

Hello Paul, I'm currently employed at the Center on Disability & Community Inclusion at the University of Vermont. I'm working on a federal Family Support Grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. One of our goals is to address the needs and issues of parents with disabilities. A couple members of our Parents w/ Disabilities Task Force are from Social & Rehabilitation Services (SRS) - our child protection and child/family services agency. Please give me a call @ 656-8495 or contact me at dpatters@zoo.uvm.edu so we can talk further.

I hope to hear from you. Debby Patterson

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

This is an answer from the state of Michigan. Just last Wednesday my child that is developmentally delayed but very high functioned is going to lose her parental rights on Feb 26, 2004 at 11:15 am. About two years ago the state of Michigan took this child away due to their disabilites, both parents worked their prograns and did the therapy to gain unsupervised visits and overnight visits. Also their child was born with his mothers disabilites her disabiity is a problem that is past on to their own offspring.

This is a ongoing problem in all states i will love to find an organsization that will challenge the law and help the people with disabilites. Maybe it is too late to help him but with help I would love to challenge it and change it to the point base on the functioning of the parents.

According to our state these parents cannot educate this child or support this child. But the parents now about this disability and how to handle it. The mother nows the challenges and the outcome of this disability. So if I can get some support it would be nice. Please email me back if you can help me and i can help you.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2004