Phil,

This is true, and I'm on another list with this poor mom.  I work in child 
welfare but don't know a lot about Canadian child welfare law.   You can bet 
I wrote to Rose and told her not to stand for this, as well as to demand 
specifics as to why the agency made this decision.  If we say someone is 
neglecting, or may neglect, a child, we'd better have specific reasons for 
saying so, not just blindness.

ANyway, dont' get me started on what's wrong wtih the system, burned out 
social workers, etc.



JulieMelton
visit me at
www.heart-and-music.com
or subscribe to my podcast at
http://feed.feedburner.com/hmradio
Keep smiling!





>From: Phil Scovell <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Electronic Church <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Fw: Help They're Taking My Baby!
>Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 16:26:15 -0700
>
>This is worth reposting.  I have no idea if it is true but I wouldn't doubt
>it for one second.
>
>Phil.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Luis Guerra" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 3:21 PM
>Subject: Fwd: Help They're Taking My Baby!
>
>
> > To all of you Blind moms, blind dads, even sighted moms and dads that 
>know
> > the capabilities of the pareninting of your blind spouse, and anyone 
>else
> > interested, I read about on the blind handy girl list from a lister 
>named
> > Trinh trinh martin [log in to unmask] It's about the very sad
> > experience that this lady Rose is going through right now, as an agency 
>is
> > threatening to take her baby when she is born. Feel welcome to writing 
>to
> > Rose, understandably she needs all the support she can get. If you
> > experienced a simular experience when your children were young, when we
>get
> > appropriate addresses together especially in Canada where she is, you 
>can
> > relate those experiences in a letter. This type of situation has 
>happened
> > way to much to many blind parents through the years, so we can do our 
>part
> > by flooding the agency and other appropriate places with letters in
>support
> > of Rose and her boyfriend to keep ther daughter, and to relate 
>experiences
> > that are simular that you may have had, and pass this information to
>others
> > that you think that would be interested in assisting. I'm putting 
>simular
> > experiences in a file of which I've received so far from the blind handy
> > girl list. I suppose it wouldn't hurt for those of us in the states to
>write
> > to nfb andACB     as they may have good contacts to pass her information
> > along too. God only knows that there may be simular situations going on
> > right at this very time. You may remember last year there was a 
>situation
> > where the hospital was not going to let the blind parents take their 
>baby
> > home. It's extremely heartbreaking, discriminating, let alone the
> > questioning of one's capabilities of daily life. I too will write to 
>Rose
>to
> > extent my support, and see if she could provide this agency's address, 
>the
> > canadian council of the blind of which she's getting support from, and 
>at
> > least some local tv and radio stations we can flood with letters in 
>hopes
>to
> > correct and change the decision that this agency has made.It's so very
> > heartless and insensitive amongst all the details, with a cold heart to
> > inform Rose and her boyfriend that they had a foster couple in line
>already
> > to take their baby. God Bless you, Rose. My heart truly goes out to you.
> > I'll directly right to you after I've sent this message. Rose, know that
> > many of us have you in our prayers, so your  baby can always be at home
>with
> > her own mom and dad, meaning you and your boyfriend. Everyone, here's
>Rose's
> > message. Even if you pass Rose's message to others, that could be a 
>great
> > source of support.
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "trinh martin"
> > <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent:
> > Sunday, March 04, 2007 2:42 AM Subject: [blindhandygirl] this is the 
>email
> > from rosey the girl i was writng about
> >
> >
> > Hi all: This is just Rose writing in with a concern and am wondering if
> > anyone can think of anything that can be done. I don't know if I told
>anyone
> > on any of these lists or not, but I'm expecting a baby. I'm almost at 
>the
> > fourty-week mark, so I could go in at any time now. For anyone that's
>either
> > from Canada or is familiar with the Canadian law, I have a question for
>you.
> > The children's aid society of Brantford, where I am presently residing, 
>is
> > involved with me because of the fact that they say they have concerns
> > because of my visual impairment. I am considered partial, so I do have a
> > little bit of vision, though not enough to read print. CAS first told me
> > that they were involved because they felt that my baby would be at risk
> > because of my visual impairment. They've been involved since early
>October,
> > perhaps early November. They had drawn up a service plan for me in
>December,
> > which was signed in early February. This service agreement stated that I
>had
> > to be willing to participate in parenting classes after the hcild was
>born,
> > that I was to go to all my appointments after the birth, and that I was 
>to
> > report any problems I felt I was having with either myself or the baby.
>They
> > also said that as long as I did everything they'd asked me to do, such 
>as
> > going to parenting, prenatal as well as postnatal classes, that I was to
> > keep my child. It has gone from that to not being able to keep it. They
>are
> > now trying to say that they have other concerns. I will have you know 
>that
>I
> > am living with my boyfriend who is otally blind. We both have extensive
> > experience with children. CAS is also saying that I have little to no
> > knowledge of what it takes to raise a child. They are also telling me 
>that
> > neither my boyfriend or I can look after ourselves, much less a child.
>They
> > are also saying that I have refused to go to my docor's appointments.
> > There's never been one time I didn't go to my appointments, with the
> > exception of ast Monday, because of the fact that my care was 
>transferred
> > over to the midwives at the birthing center where I'm going to be giving
> > birth. I went to see a lawyer today about my case, and I found out that
>CAS
> > had written a letter to him saying that they had other concerns. That's
> > where all the junk about me not being able to take care of myself came
>from,
> > was the letter they had written to my lawyer. From what my lawyer is
>telling
> > me, there's nothing that can be done at this point until CAS has 
>presented
> > me with documentation saying that the baby is going to go into foster
>care,
> > which they have not yet done. CAS is also telling me that I have not
>gained
> > enough independence. They are also trying to say now that when I was
>staying
> > at a maternity home for a while, I had refused to use my cane, thereby
> > endangering the infants that were there. They are lying through thei 
>teeth
> > here, because never once did I leave my cane somewhere whenever I was
> > walking around in the house. They are also saying that I have been
>refusing
> > assistance. This is also not true. I have been trying to ask for
>assistance,
> > and have gotten a lot more than was expected. I gues what I'm trying to
>ask,
> > is do you know if there's anything that can be done to try and prevent
>this
> > agency from taking my child? They have said to me that this is going to 
>be
> > for a minimum of six months, perhaps longer. If it goes beyond one year,
>my
> > child will then become a crown ward of the CAS, by which time I'll be
> > screwed, because there will be little to no hope of me getting her back. 
>I
> > will also have you know that my caseworker had first made this foster 
>care
> > idea sound like a suggestion, then when I was on my way to the birthing
> > center, she'd dropped the bomb on my head that she had already had 
>foster
> > parents lined up for my baby. When we got to the birthing center, she 
>told
> > the midwives there that after the baby was born and I was ready to go
>home,
> > the foster parents were going to come and take the aby to their home 
>from
> > there. As I said, they have not yet presented me with any documentation
> > stating that this is going to happen. I do have the Canadian Council for
>the
> > blind advocating on my behalf about their concerns, but for anyone in or
> > from Canada, what I'm trying to ask is if there are any more advocacy
>groups
> > or something that I could possibly get to advocate for me on my behalf
>about
> > all of this? Any suggestions anyone has will be greatly appreciated.
>Thanks,
> > Rose her msn and email address is this
> >
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> > please let us just bring her in prayer every time we think of her and 
>her
> > boyfriend and baby!!!!!!!!!!
> >
> > because of the love of god, may we always have a special smile, a 
>sprinkle
> > of love and kindness to shower upon those who god brings into our lives
> >
> > because of the love of god, may we always have a special smile, a 
>sprinkle
> > of love and kindness to shower upon those who god brings into our lives
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
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