As it appeared in the Charleston Gazette

ADAPT members protest treatment

Editor:

    American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation of West Virginia would like to make the public aware of the ongoing violations of individual rights committed by such case management agencies as CCIL and Valley Community Mental Health, and home-care agencies, such as Panhandle Support Services and American Homecare Services.
    Over the past several months, members of our group have experienced repeated violations of their civil and client rights.  Our privacy has been repeatedly violated and confidentially broken on numerous occasions.
    Issues as personal as sexuality have been made public knowledge and regulated.  Individuals have been told they con not spend the night with friends simply because both have a disability.  We have even been denied the right to provided each other with basic assistance because ignorant, uninformed professionals deem it "unsafe."
    ADAPT of West Virginia has protested  in Charleston.  The deputy director of Health and Human Services David Forinash, claimed he was unaware of the problems.  The injustice has continued.
    We of ADAPT call for the Department of Human Resources to hold meetings with the vendors of their waiver services, to develop strict across-the-board regulations which monitor the activities of these companies.
    A system must be put in place which allows us to live our lives to the fullest, rather than be held  prisoners in our own homes.
                                                                                                                        Mickey Finn                                                                                                                               Ken Ervin                                                                                                                             Darla Ervin                                                                                                             ADAPT Morgantown