[Jayhawk-chapter] CPS Takes Newborn From Blind Parents in Missouri Just Because They are Blind

Thu Jul 1 03:43:42 UTC 2010

What an unbelievable occurrence!  I cannot help stating that this case is one of those clearly demonstrates the ignorance of the society.
Chikako Mochizuki

--- On Wed, 6/30/10, James H. "Jim" Canaday M.A. N6YR <n6yr at sunflower.com> wrote:

> From: James H. "Jim" Canaday M.A. N6YR <n6yr at sunflower.com>
> Subject: Re: [Jayhawk-chapter] CPS Takes Newborn From Blind Parents in Missouri Just Because They are Blind
> To: "Jayhawk Chapter list, Lawrence, Kansas" <jayhawk-chapter at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 9:41 PM
> we had a conversation last night on
> the chapter presidents' list.
> yes, distribute this far and wide, especially MO needs
> support for 
> the legal fight!  however Debbie Wunder  asks
> that we not distribute 
> to media yet.
> this is an astounding situation.  personally I think
> something like 
> this deserves picketers and other direct action.
> maybe it will come to that.
> thanks for putting this up Susan.
> jc
> 
> At 07:46 PM 6/30/2010, you wrote:
> >Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
> >     
>    boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00AE_01CB188C.FFE18950"
> >Content-Language: en-us
> >
> >I guess I shouldn't be but I am always astounded when I
> hear about 
> >things like this still happening! It's shameful! Read
> on!
> >Susan
> >
> >
> >On the eve of our 70th anniversary as an organization,
> I am deeply
> >saddened to distribute the below message, about a blind
> couple in
> >Missouri whose newborn daughter was taken away from
> them by CPS,
> >merely because they are blind. This situation affects
> all of us,
> >especially since many of us are current or future blind
> parents, and
> >it's a shocking reminder of how much work remains ahead
> of us as an
> >organization. I urge you to read the below and to
> consider donating to
> >this cause, either directly or by helping to babysit at
> convention to
> >raise money for this family.
> > >From the NFB of Missouri:
> >Erica and Blake, a young couple were awaiting the birth
> of their first
> >child with joy and happiness. Baby Mikaela was born at
> 12:45pm, May 21. Not
> >unlike many new mothers, Erica experienced some
> difficulty in her
> >first breast feeding
> >of Mikaela; she called the nurse for some advice. By
> 6:00pm child
> >protective services arrived at the hospital to say the
> parents could not
> >take Mikaela home, unless they had a sighted person to
> live with them.
> >In all the investigations, blindness is the only reason
> sited for the
> >parents not being allowed to leave with their new baby
> girl.
> >The Missouri affiliate has hired an attorney at $250
> per hour, and
> >her assistant at $85 per hour to bring Mikaela home
> where she belongs!
> >Please help with any donations possible to unite this
> family. You may
> >stop by the Missouri table, B 114 in the exhibit hall,
> or come by our
> >delegation.
> >We, the National Federation of the Blind can bring
> Mikaela home to
> >her parents where she belongs! Thank you for any help
> you can give.
> >And a more recent update:
> >    I just spoke with NFB of Missouri
> President Gary Wunder. Here is 
> > the latest:
> >
> >    The parents initially thought that if
> they played by the rules,
> >surely the judge would give them ba ck their daughter
> at the first
> >hearing. However, this did not happen, so a second
> hearing was
> >scheduled for June 16. At this point, the parents
> realized that they
> >needed an advocate and contacted the NFB of Missouri.
> After visiting
> >with the couple in their home and determining that
> there were no
> >extenuating circumstances and that blindness was the
> only concern CPS
> >had about these parents, the NFB hired an attorney to
> assist them. The
> >cost of this attorney is $250 an hour, and $85 for the
> services of the
> >attorney's assistant.
> >
> >    About two weeks ago, on June 16, the
> parents had their second
> >hearing. The judge seemed outraged that the hospital
> had taken the
> >child from this couple with so little cause and was
> further astounded
> >that the hospital had never dealt with blind parents
> before.
> >Unfortunately, this was not an evidentiary hearing, so
> no decisions
> >were made and it was announced that there would need to
> b e a third
> >hearing. The problem is that this judge is going on
> vacation, so the
> >earliest they could get a hearing with her was on July
> 20. The parents
> >could have chosen to get an earlier hearing date with a
> different
> >judge, but their attorney advised them to wait for this
> judge to
> >return from vacation, because she had seemed so
> sympathetic and on
> >their side at the second hearing.
> >
> >    So, the situation as it now stands is
> that the parents are
> >awaiting their third hearing on July 20, with this
> hopefully
> >sympathetic judge. Meanwhile, the NFB of Missouri is
> paying for the
> >parents to receive voc rehab training, to get letters
> from the state
> >VR agency saying that these parents can indeed perform
> the tasks that
> >were of concern to CPS. The NFB realizes that we
> shouldn't have to get
> >a permission slip from the state VR agency to have
> kids, but their
> >main focus at this time is to address the ridiculous
> "But, how does a
> >blind person do that?" concerns of the hospital and CPS
> and get baby
> >Micaela back with her parents where she belongs. So,
> the NFB of
> >Missouri is incurring additional costs, as they are
> paying out of
> >pocket for these voc rehab services for the couple.
> >
> >    Gary asked me to pass along that the NFB
> of Missouri welcomes
> >donations to help defray the sky-rocketing legal
> expenses and the cost
> >of getting letters from VR professionals asserting that
> these parents
> >have received training in the skills of parenting and
> can perform the
> >required tasks. They are setting up a specific fund for
> these
> >donations. You can make a contribution at the NFB of
> Missouri's
> >affiliate table in the Exhibit Hall or by visiting Gary
> in the
> >Missouri delegation during General Session.
> >
> >    If you can't make a monetary donation or
> if you'd like to help
> >further, I'm collecting names and contact info of
> Federationists who
> >would be willing to baby-sit during Convention for
> parents who want to
> >get out for an evening or even just attend a few
> Convention events
> >without their children, and donate the proceeds to the
> NFB of Missouri
> >to help with the legal costs of returning Micaela to
> her parents.
> >
> >    If you'd like to volunteer your time,
> please contact me at
> ><mailto:stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.gov>stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.gov
> 
> >or on my cell at 708-359-3301.
> >Please let me know the best way to contact you at
> Convention, a little
> >bit about your experience with kids (this might include
> being a parent
> >yourself, having worked as a counselor at a summer
> program, etc.), and
> >which times you would be available.
> >
> >    Furthermore, feel free to share my
> contact info with any parents
> >who might be interested in this service during
> Convention.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Stacy Leigh Cervenka
> >Legislative Assistant
> >Office of Senator Sam Brownback (KS)
> >303 Hart Senate Office Bui lding
> >Phone: (202) 224-6521
> >Email: 
> ><mailto:stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.gov>stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.gov
> 
> >
> >QQ
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