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WPAS Updates - Fall 2001
Table of Contents:
 | From the Resource Advocacy Files at WPAS (9/10/01) |
| Searching for the Right Computer (7/31/01) |
From the Resource Advocacy Files at WPAS
Resource Advocates at WPAS receive hundreds of phone calls from people needing assistance. Below are summaries of a few of the calls handled by these advocates in recent weeks.
A Family Needs Services
The mother of a child with a developmental disability called WPAS asking for assistance in locating the resources her child needed. The woman had recently moved to a small, rural town and was at a loss as to what kinds of resources were available in her new community. The mother questioned why no one from the state Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) was assisting her. A Resource Advocate at WPAS sent her the WPAS self-advocacy manual and information on a variety of subjects including, respite care, trusts, disability attorney referrals and special education. The advocate offered to contact DDD on the mother’s behalf and put her in touch with her child’s case manager. The mother was also provided a referral to the Arc of Washington.
Housing
A person who lives in a Housing Authority apartment called WPAS for assistance. The rent had been increased significantly, and the tenant had requested an explanation. The Housing Authority delayed providing the information until a third party got involved and helped the tenant with the request. The tenant was angry that it took so much effort to get the information they had requested, and wanted to know what they could do about this. The Resource Advocate described how to file a complaint with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and informed the tenant of local legal resources for housing issues.
Guardianship
A distraught family member of a person with a disability called WPAS. The individual with the disability has a professional guardian, and the family member had been unable to get a return call from this guardian, despite calling several times. The Resource Advocate researched the rules pertaining to professional guardians, and called the Office of the Administrator of the Courts (OAC), the agency that licenses professional guardians. The advocate learned from OAC that there were several complaints lodged against this particular guardian.
The Resource Advocate called the family member back, and provided information about professional guardian rules, the complaint process, the role of the OAC, the contact information for the correct person to talk to at OAC, and the information learned about this particular guardian. The family member was very relieved to get this information and thanked WPAS for the assistance.
Abuse in Jail
A patient at a psychiatric hospital called to complain about disrespectful and abusive treatment that she had received while at a county jail. The Resource Advocate gathered information from the internet about the jail's complaint process. WPAS provided the caller with this information and the WPAS publication entitled "Resources for Prisoners with Disabilities".
Eviction
An older woman with disabilities called WPAS after receiving an eviction notice from her landlord. She didn't have the resources, energy or physical ability to move to another apartment, and she did not know how she could challenge the eviction notice. A Resource Advocate provided a supervised referral to the Housing Justice Project in her area, a group that may agree to advocate for her in her legal matters. Additionally, the advocate put her in contact with various community groups and charities that may be willing to provide her assistance in moving to a new apartment.
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Searching for the Right Computer
The mother of a child with a developmental disability wrote to WPAS asking for assistance in locating a donated computer for her child. The mother was looking for a computer that would be able to accommodate her child's special keyboard and compatible software, which was donated by the Lions Club. The mother pursued many avenues attempting to find such a computer including writing letters to non-profit organizations and major corporations. One of the non-profit organizations she contacted was willing to lend her a computer, but unfortunately, it was not equipped with enough memory to accommodate the special program. WPAS referred her to several other organizations including the Computer Bank Charity, which distributes donated computers to persons with disabilities, and the Washington Assistive Technology Foundation (WATF), which assists persons with disabilities in obtaining the technology they need to excel in education, employment and independent living. The mother thanked WPAS for these referrals and ideas, and will continue her search for the computer.
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