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August 5, 2013

Judge Rules Woman with Down Syndrome Can Live with Friends 
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In a victory for disability rights in the United States, a judge in
Virginia has rejected a guardianship request from the parents of a woman
with Down syndrome, instead ruling Jenny Hatch can live with friends as
she wanted. Hatch's parents sought guardianship rights that would have
allowed them to keep the 29-year-old in a group home against her will.
But Jenny had run away from a series of group homes over the past year,
complaining she was treated like a child. On Friday, Newport News
Circuit Court Judge David Pugh designated Jenny's friends — a
couple who also hired her to work at their thrift store — as her
temporary guardians for a year with the goal that, beyond that, she
might live more independently. In a statement, Susan Mizner, disability
counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said, "Disability is no
excuse to deprive someone of her basic civil liberties, and we are
thrilled that Jenny will get some control of her life back."

 

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