Georgia: Interview 1
Deinstitutionalization: Unfinished Business
National Council on Disability and Daniels and Associates, LLC
The National Council on Disability has asked Daniels and Associates to talk with people with disabilities about their experiences – living in institutions and then living in the community. Your answers to these questions will help people all over the country to understand these issues better and we hope that this information will encourage states to close all institutions and provide quality living situations for people with disabilities in the community.
Thank you for agreeing to talk with us.
Questions: (Please try to capture the individual’s actual words so we can use them as quotations whenever possible. Note: we will not identify the individual’s name.)
Personal Information
Carrie* lives in a group home, the ownership of which was been recently transferred from Southwestern State Hospital to Thomas Grady Service Center, the community provider in Thomasville, Georgia, that serves people with developmental disabilities. Carrie has four roommates with whom she has lived for many years. She was able to stay with the same roommates as ownership was transferred. She is approximately 40 years old now. In addition to cognitive issues, she appears to have a neurological disorder causing her hands to shake. She has her own bedroom, which she has decorated. There is live-in staff that rotates throughout the week, and Carrie spends time in a sheltered workshop/day program. She did not seem too interested in answering questions but was very verbal about the subjects she wanted to talk about.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
Did you live in an institution at some point in your life?
“No.”
(Carrie lives in a group home that was previously owned and operated by the State of Georgia, through Southwestern State Hospital.)
What was the name of the institution?
How long did you live there?
General Experience
What was it like for you as a person with a disability to live in an institution and not in the community?
Do you have specific memories of a time in the institution which you think will help people understand what it was like for you?
Housing Arrangements
What type of housing arrangement do you have?
Are you living independently?
“Yes, I have my own bedroom.”
Do you live with family members?
“No, my Mom died and my Dad died of cancer.”
(Staff: She has developed a sisterlike relationship with one of her roommates with the same name.)
Do you share a home with other individuals?
“I have four roommates.”
Do they have disabilities also?
(Yes, it is a group home for individuals with disabilities.)
Is there staff to help you there?
“Yes, we have someone who is at the house and makes us breakfast and dinner and stays overnight.”
If none of these describe the place where you live, please tell us about it.
What do you like about your where you live?
“My room is pretty. I like my room and watching TV. No strangers can come in the house. We eat dinner at the house but I do not help with dinner. Sometimes I make cookies and cupcakes. I love my roommates a lot.”
What would you like to change about where you live?
“Nothing.”
Community Life
What is the thing you enjoy most about your life in the community?
“Every day I have a Dr. Pepper at 10 a.m. but sometimes they sell out because everyone loves it.”
Do you get to go out and “do things” in the community?
“I come every day to the Training Center. I paint pictures. I play bingo and Candyland. Kim who lives with us painted my nails red.”
What are your favorite things to do?
“I don’t swim but love to go to the swimming pool because it is hot.”
Employment
Are you working? If you are working, tell us a little about your job?
“I want to work at Wal-Mart because my sister works there.”
(Staff: She volunteers at the local elementary school, reading to children.)
Are you working at a job where most of the other individuals are also people with disabilities?
“No.”
Do you have assistance on the job—like a job coach or other aids?
What do you like about your job?
What would you like to change about your job?
Georgia: Interview 2
Personal Information
Corey* is 53 years old. Corey likes to engage with people. He has severe balance problems and is prone to falling, so he wears a helmet. He also has a severe skin condition. He lives in a historic home in Thomasville with four other individuals and has 24/7 staff. Corey did not even reference the fact that he lived for a significant period of his life in Southwestern State Hospital, Rose Haven Unit.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
Did you live in an institution at some point in your life?
“No, I lived in Tifton, Georgia.”
(Staff: He lived in Southwestern State Hospital since childhood and is originally from Tifton.)
What was the name of the institution?
How long did you live there?
General Experience
What was it like for you as a person with a disability to live in an institution and not in the community?
Do you have specific memories of a time in the institution which you think will help people understand what it was like for you?
(He did not want to talk about living there. Staff indicated that he has challenging behavioral issues and that they were warned by the state hospital staff and Corey’s family that he could not live in the community. Staff reports that there have been no behavioral incidents now that Corey has moved out of the state hospital).
Housing Arrangements
What type of housing arrangement do you have?
“I have my own bedroom.”
Are you living independently?
“No.”
Do you live with family members?
“No.”
Do you share a home with other individuals?
“Yes, I have four roommates.”
Do they have disabilities also?
“Yes.”
Is there staff to help you there?
“Yes, Diane takes care of us.”
If none of these describe the place where you live, please tell us about it.
What do you like about your where you live?
“I have a TV in my room.”
What would you like to change about where you live?
“I would like to mow grass.”
Community Life
What is the thing you enjoy most about your life in the community?
“I like to mow grass. My brothers and sisters are taking me out to dinner for my birthday on Friday. I want to go to Red Lobster.”
Do you get to go out and “do things” in the community?
“No, I come to the Training Center every day and I like to play bingo. I like to go outside and take walks with my friends. I like the Police Department.”
What are your favorite things to do?
“Mow grass. I like watching shows.”
Employment
Are you working?
“No.”
Are you working at a job where most of the other individuals are also people with disabilities?
Do you have assistance on the job—like a job coach or other aids?
What do you like about your job?
What would you like to change about your job?
Georgia: Interview 3
Personal Information
George* is approximately 40 years old. He talks a lot but is very hard to understand. George does not seem to have additional medical problems. George pretends to cry when he does not want to do something like answer questions. George likes donuts and got a package of donuts for our interview. He was really intent on finishing them before we could talk.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
Did you live in an institution at some point in your life?
“Yes.”
What was the name of the institution?
“Rose Haven.”
How long did you live there?
General Experience
What was it like for you as a person with a disability to live in an institution and not in the community?
Do you have specific memories of a time in the institution which you think will help people understand what it was like for you?
“My Dad was very mean and he died. My Mom is in a home in Thomasville.”
(He seems to understand that his mother was not able to take care of him at home.)
Housing Arrangements
What type of housing arrangement do you have?
“I live in a house. I have my own room but I did not get to chose the color my room was painted. It is white.”
Are you living independently?
“No I live with four roommates.”
Do you live with family members?
“I have brother and sisters and they visit me.”
Do you share a home with other individuals?
Do they have disabilities also?
“Yes, they are like me.”
Is there staff to help you there?
“Yes, there is staff to help us and they take me to see my Mom in the home.”
If none of these describe the place where you live, please tell us about it.
What do you like about your where you live?
“I like donuts. I like to play ball.”
What would you like to change about where you live?
“I want to live in Florida with my brother.”
Community Life
What is the thing you enjoy most about your life in the community?
“I like to play ball and go bowling.”
Do you get to go out and “do things” in the community?
“Bowling.”
What are your favorite things to do?
“I like to go see Mom.”
Employment
Are you working?
“I work bagging groceries three times per week.”
(Staff: He works once per month and is very popular at work. He works every day in the sheltered workshop.)
Are you working at a job where most of the other individuals are also people with disabilities?
“No.”
Do you have assistance on the job—like a job coach or other aids?
“No.”
What do you like about your job?
“I like seeing all the people at the grocery store. I like to have money.”
What would you like to change about your job?
“He would like to work more at the grocery store. He does not like days off.”