Articles
(Note: Many of the articles appearing below are provided courtesy of the newsfeed summary from the Disability and Abuse Project of SPECTRUM INSTITUTE; thank you, Dr. Nora Baladerian!)
In State Care, 1,200 Deaths and Few Answers
New York Times - Nov. 6
Drivers Allegedly Abused Disabled Woman
Two Dallas Area Rapid Transit drivers trusted to transport those who can't take care of themselves have been accused of taking advantage of a mentally disabled woman. --- FOX 4 News --- November 2, 2011 (TEXAS) http://is.gd/qeoWdO
Abuse of N.J.'s Developmentally Disabled Continues
Senator Jennifer Beck introduced "Tara's Law", after investigating the abuse of a 29-year-old woman in a group home who died from such abuse and neglect, weighing just 43 pounds ... --- newjerseynewsroom.com --- November 3, 2011 (NEW JERSEY) http://is.gd/MwpD01
Mentally Challenged Teen Locked Away by Mother
Police say the boy is mentally challenged and may have been severely neglected for years. His mother, Amanda Jolliff and boyfriend Richard Smith are now facing child abuse ... --- KKCO-TV --- October 23, 2011 (COLORADO) http://is.gd/Ue56vq
Rape Trial Looks at Definition of 'Mentally Defective' Victim
Whether the victim, a mentally challenged woman who was 29 years old when the alleged assault occurred in August 2008, falls into that category remains to be seen. --- The Union Leader --- October 26, 2011 (NEW HAMPSHIRE) http://is.gd/3UBM97
Caretaker Beat Handicapped Boy, Stole Disability Checks for Years, Police Say
A caretaker has been illegally swiping a mentally handicapped teen's disability checks for the last 5 years - and not providing care for the Charlotte boy ... --- WBTV --- October 25, 2011 (NORTH CAROLINA) http://is.gd/7KJNFv
Attorney General Announces Arrest of Gadsden County Caregiver for Abuse
Attorney General Bondi announced that Darrius L. Young of Midway was arrested on Thursday and charged with abuse of an adult with disabilities. Young, a Gadsden County resident, was taken into custody by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Leon County Sheriff's Office, and he has been charged with abuse of a disabled adult, a third-degree felony. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine...
Sacramento Man Arraigned for Videotaped Beating
Rasaan Zawadi had little to say when he was arraigned in a Sacramento court room in connection with the videotaped beating of a mentally challenged woman. --- News10.net --- October 17, 2011 (CALIFORNIA) http://is.gd/qfzeZo
Man Pleads Not Guilty to Raping Disabled Student
An Orange County man has pleaded not guilty to charges of raping a woman with severe mental and developmental disabilities in a Fullerton College ... --- San Jose Mercury News --- October 19, 2011 (CALIFORNIA) http://is.gd/g04FeF
Boulder DA Seeks Own Evaluation for Mom Accused of Killing Son out of Autism Fears
Police say she told investigators that she placed a plastic bag and blankets over his face because she believed he had autism and having a disabled child would "ruin her life." --- The Republic --- October 22, 2011 (COLORADO) http://is.gd/T3cwrp
Police: Boy Kept Locked in Room in Mobile Home
Police say a mentally challenged teenage boy was kept locked in his room, rarely fed and only let outside three times a day. --- 9NEWS.com --- October 21, 2011 (COLORADO) http://is.gd/aO0EY2
Woman Accused of Chaining Disabled Adults Served Time for Starving Sister's Boyfriend to Death
The man and woman who took up residence in north West Palm Beach with a bevy of disabled adults raised neighbors' eyebrows, but they were likely unaware the man had a ... --- Palm Beach Post --- October 17, 2011 (FLORIDA) http://is.gd/8YnMPE
Lawmaker: Texas Woman Can Sue State over Mentally Disabled Son's Beating at State School
A woman can proceed with her lawsuit against the state of Texas after her mentally disabled son was paralyzed during a beating in a state facility. --- The Republic --- October 20, 2011 (TEXAS) http://is.gd/wYQHCP
Man Who Raped Mentally Challenged Woman Sentenced
A man found guilty of raping a mentally challenged woman twice between December 2007 and January 2008 was sentenced Wednesday to 28 years in prison. --- WXII The Triad --- October 20, 2011 (VIRGINIA) http://is.gd/RhSyCD
Advocate: Disabled Adults Can Be 'Walking Targets'
Atlanta Journal Constitution Oct. 22
PHILADELPHIA - For years, paroled murderer Linda Ann Weston marched several mentally challenged adults into Social Security offices to sign off as their representative payee, someone who helps manage their monthly benefits of about $600 to $900, authorities say. Weston, once deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, was arrested last week after a Philadelphia landlord found four malnourished, mentally disabled adults in her care in a basement crawl space, one chained to a boiler. They later found her burned, badly abused teenage niece locked in a closet. Police have since learned that another disabled woman died in Weston's care in Virginia, of meningitis coupled with severe malnutrition. To advocates, the case demonstrates just how vulnerable the disabled are if they don't have family or friends protecting them.
Men with Disabilities More Vulnerable to Sexual Assaults
Arc Responds to Alleged Crimes Against Four Individuals with Disabilities
Case on Assault of Woman with Disabilities Goes to High Court
James D. McGaughey, executive director of the state Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, said that if the ruling's standard for a person with ... --- The Connecticut Mirror --- October 14, 2011 (CONNECTICUT) http://is.gd/DbEdv6
Kimball, Nebraska, City Councilman Charged with Sex Assault on Mentally Disabled Teenage Boy
A city councilman in the western Nebraska town of Kimball has been charged with the sexual assault of a mentally disabled teenage boy. --- The Republic --- October 14, 2011 (NEBRASKA) http://is.gd/B2CcHb
Bedford Schools Getting Scrutiny from State over Care for Disabled
Surveillance video shows the bus driver and an assistant hit and kick 11-year-old Timothy Earl Kilpatrick, a severely autistic student who is strapped to his seat. --- Richmond Times Dispatch --- October 14, 2011 (VIRGINIA) http://is.gd/aocnZu
Local woman victim of assault
ALAMOSA, CO - On a quiet street in a quiet Alamosa neighborhood on an otherwise quiet Monday a handicapped woman was viciously beaten, bound with duct tape and sexually assaulted with a mop handle. The 33-year-old victim... Oct 5th, 2011 -- Julia Wilson, Valley Courier
Special Education Teacher Allegedly Mocks Students on Facebook
