By LAURA DIAMOND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/29/07
EDUCATION FORUM
The Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities will host a forum on issues that parents of special-education students should be aware of as they plan for life after high school. Speakers will discuss what services are available, how to apply for assistance to pay for the services and other topics.
The free event will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Oakland Meadow School, 590 Old Snellville Highway, Lawrenceville. [Click for the flyer]
For more information go to: www.aadd.org or www.unlockthewaitinglists.com
Amy and Scott Castaline wanted their son taken care of. They hoped he could spend his days at a place where he could learn new skills and meet people.
Accomplishing this goal wasn't easy for the Castalines. They said parents need to be patient and learn some important strategies, many of which will be discussed during a public forum tonight.
Their son, Adam, is a 24-year-old man with the mental capabilities of a 2-year-old boy. He has cerebral palsy and is intellectually disabled. He spends most of his time in a wheelchair. Someone must help him dress, bathe and use the toilet.
Adam Castaline went to school for most of his life, but that changed when he turned 22. Under federal law, he was too old to continue at the Oakland School, one of Gwinnett County's centers for students with disabilities.
The Castalines planned for him to transition to a day program at the Hi-Hope Service Center in Lawrenceville for adults with disabilities. They said the center costs more than $1,000 a month and, like many families, they can't afford it without help from Medicaid-funded waivers.
Amy Castaline put her son's name on a list to receive one of the waivers about five years before he left Oakland. She thought that would be enough time. It wasn't. The waiver didn't come through until March — about seven years after she applied.
Between the time that Adam Castaline left Oakland and received the waiver, he had nowhere to go. He sat at home. He watched television. The only people he saw were members of his family. Frustrated, he often wheeled himself to the front door and shouted "Out!"
"He was unhappy and I could tell he was losing the skills he learned in school," Amy Castaline said. "Who would want to sit at home all day and just move from one room to another? When you have nowhere to go, you don't see a reason for life."
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