Help Violet Find a Forever Home
Donation protected
Will you help with the legal fees so that we can ensure Violet finds a safe and stable home where she will be treated with the dignity she deserves? An analogy to explain why:
Imagine you're six years old and you're in your 4th foster care home. You've been in this foster home for only seven months. It's been rough because many things that happen here make you feel anxious and misunderstood. One day you overhear your caregiver tell someone on the phone that they want you out of their house. When you ask about what you heard, you're told you must move out. When you ask where you're going, you're told “I don’t know. It’s not my problem. I'm done with you.” Then you're handed boxes to pack your things.
How would you feel if you were that six-year-old?
This is what is happening to Violet. She’s not six in birth years. She’s 38. But she’s a woman with an intellectual disability and mental age of six. You just read her story from a six year old’s eyes.
She also has autism-like behaviors, OCD, high anxiety, and two DNA deletions that give her a host of physical challenges. Violet just wants a home where she’s understood. Her first four years in the adult care system were good, but when the household rules or environment didn’t comply with her “care plan and ISP” (a legal document outlining her needs), Violet’s anxiety flared up and she started having meltdowns.
Before moving a person with intellectual disabilities, there’s supposed to be a thoughtful plan in place to avoid “transfer trauma.” This consideration is being sidestepped, and Violet is frightened about what’s going to happen once she’s kicked out of her home.
I’ve been advocating for Violet for the past 8 years by myself. I have hit a wall. I realized I needed help. So, I called a lawyer, and the fight to get Violet a home that meets her needs has begun. But I could only pay the $5000 retainer, which will cover about 20 hours of legal work, because that’s all I have. It’s going to take a whole lot more.
As for me, Violet’s sister, and legal guardian, I’ve learned that advocating for her isn’t always kindly received. This last home has been the worst “fit”, and the agency responsible for her care has been negligent. Violet has paid the price. When I started to express concern that her care plan was not being followed and I suspected human rights violations, I became the whistleblower.
I had a video of her telling me she could not use her iPad to Video with me (she was on her phone) because it was in her caregiver’s room. She said it was taken away because she had an accident. She was clear in the video that her electronics were taken away to punish her. The caregiver denied it, and the agency determined none of it was true – even with Violet saying what was happening to her on video. This is just one example out of a list of my concerns. I was told to back off, and I did. Violet’s behavior has since regressed, indicating severe emotional distress. (To be fair, this agency has caring staff. Those staff members appear to have been silenced.)
In addition to this crisis, a year ago, Violet’s Social Security benefits were terminated because of an oversight. Her reinstatement had been held up in the system for the past nine months. I am seeking the help of another lawyer whose expertise is in Social Security Disability rights to help her get her SSI back. Retaining that lawyer will also cost money we don’t have. Without her social security, she will still have a roof over her head, but she will have no money to buy personal items like shampoo, soap, and other items the care homes are not required to provide.
Will you help with the legal fees so that we can ensure Violet finds a safe and stable home where she will be treated with the dignity she deserves? We would appreciate ***any size contribution***.
Together, we can make a difference for Violet and send a strong message to remind agencies not to do this to other people with intellectual disabilities.
I'm including a video of Violet that we made to help other people with challenges like hers.
Imagine you're six years old and you're in your 4th foster care home. You've been in this foster home for only seven months. It's been rough because many things that happen here make you feel anxious and misunderstood. One day you overhear your caregiver tell someone on the phone that they want you out of their house. When you ask about what you heard, you're told you must move out. When you ask where you're going, you're told “I don’t know. It’s not my problem. I'm done with you.” Then you're handed boxes to pack your things.
How would you feel if you were that six-year-old?
This is what is happening to Violet. She’s not six in birth years. She’s 38. But she’s a woman with an intellectual disability and mental age of six. You just read her story from a six year old’s eyes.
She also has autism-like behaviors, OCD, high anxiety, and two DNA deletions that give her a host of physical challenges. Violet just wants a home where she’s understood. Her first four years in the adult care system were good, but when the household rules or environment didn’t comply with her “care plan and ISP” (a legal document outlining her needs), Violet’s anxiety flared up and she started having meltdowns.
Before moving a person with intellectual disabilities, there’s supposed to be a thoughtful plan in place to avoid “transfer trauma.” This consideration is being sidestepped, and Violet is frightened about what’s going to happen once she’s kicked out of her home.
I’ve been advocating for Violet for the past 8 years by myself. I have hit a wall. I realized I needed help. So, I called a lawyer, and the fight to get Violet a home that meets her needs has begun. But I could only pay the $5000 retainer, which will cover about 20 hours of legal work, because that’s all I have. It’s going to take a whole lot more.
As for me, Violet’s sister, and legal guardian, I’ve learned that advocating for her isn’t always kindly received. This last home has been the worst “fit”, and the agency responsible for her care has been negligent. Violet has paid the price. When I started to express concern that her care plan was not being followed and I suspected human rights violations, I became the whistleblower.
I had a video of her telling me she could not use her iPad to Video with me (she was on her phone) because it was in her caregiver’s room. She said it was taken away because she had an accident. She was clear in the video that her electronics were taken away to punish her. The caregiver denied it, and the agency determined none of it was true – even with Violet saying what was happening to her on video. This is just one example out of a list of my concerns. I was told to back off, and I did. Violet’s behavior has since regressed, indicating severe emotional distress. (To be fair, this agency has caring staff. Those staff members appear to have been silenced.)
In addition to this crisis, a year ago, Violet’s Social Security benefits were terminated because of an oversight. Her reinstatement had been held up in the system for the past nine months. I am seeking the help of another lawyer whose expertise is in Social Security Disability rights to help her get her SSI back. Retaining that lawyer will also cost money we don’t have. Without her social security, she will still have a roof over her head, but she will have no money to buy personal items like shampoo, soap, and other items the care homes are not required to provide.
Will you help with the legal fees so that we can ensure Violet finds a safe and stable home where she will be treated with the dignity she deserves? We would appreciate ***any size contribution***.
Together, we can make a difference for Violet and send a strong message to remind agencies not to do this to other people with intellectual disabilities.
I'm including a video of Violet that we made to help other people with challenges like hers.
Organizer
Susan Fitzell
Organizer
Manchester, NH