Parents of children with a disability can sometimes feel overwhelmed. As children grow into adults, the responsibilities for parents do not lessen. While it is not unusual for the parents of mentally disabled children to seek help, one Illinois woman went further then many could imagine.
A grand jury decided this week that Eva Cameron, of Algonquin, will not face charges related to an incident that occurred in Tennessee over the summer, according to the Chicago Tribune. The woman left her 19-year-old disabled daughter in a bar, and drove away.
Cameron indicated that she brought her daughter to Caryville, Tennessee because of the population of Baptists in the area, and because she believed that the state has the best health care in the country, according to CNN.
The Tennessee courts did not say that the woman’s behavior was excusable. There was no indictment in the case because there is no law against what Cameron did. The girl is legally an adult, and the court found no legal reason to charge the mother
For those parents who have gone through the legal system to get help for their disabled children, it is customary to apply for guardianship before a child turns 18 in order to remain the primary legal caregiver. If that did not happen in this case, the girl is legally considered able to care for herself, regardless of her mental capacity. It is estimated that she has the mental capacity of a three-year-old.
Illinois has petitioned for guardianship of the 19-year-old. She is currently living in a group home. Eva Cameron signed paperwork stating that she did not want to take the girl back home to Illinois with her.
The mother in this situation clearly was overwhelmed by the needs of her daughter. Parents in Illinois should know that there are many resources available for children with disabilities. The Illinois State Board of Education, the Department of Children and Family Services, and local school districts are all great places to start when looking for resources.
Article BY: WHITNEY LEVON
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http://www.examiner.com/article/illinois-woman-will-not-face-charges-for-abandoning-disabled-daughter-at-bar
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