She wanted to get back into the community. Our advocacy got her there. #AdvocacyMatters
October 19, 2018 / #AdvocacyMatters
Germaine Martin has a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in mathematics, and she wants to put her sharp mind to work and lead an active, social life. She'd had that community-based life at one time, with all of the supports she needed as a person with quadriplegia, cerebral palsy and mental illness. Unfortunately, a hospitalization five years ago had landed her in a nursing facility, and she couldn't get out. She felt isolated, stifled and incredibly frustrated, so she reached out to DRO for help.
A DRO attorney successfully advocated for her to be enrolled in the Medicaid waiver that would best serve her needs, and Germaine's service and support administrator at the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities then helped her find housing, a provider and access to the medical equipment she would need to live safely in the community. Her Freedom Day, as she called it, finally came in September.
Now that she is living independently again, Germaine has a lot of plans. She wants to be a leader in the Ohio Chapter of ADAPT, a national grassroots community group that organizes civil rights activists to push for human and civil rights for people with disabilities, and she really wants to start working again.
DRO is committed to helping those who, like Germaine, wish to exercise their right to move out of institutional settings and find the services and supports they need to live safe, happy, fulfilling lives in the community. Find more resources on the Community Integration page of our Self-Advocacy Resource Center.