i am a advocate of fathers rights, but, in everything the care and safty of
the children are most important. i'd hope that the judge will not put them
in danger and limit the visits to the waking hours.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: R. Hintz [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, January 30, 1999 2:10 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Deaf/"Head-injuried" /CP Parent & Safety Issues(long)
>
> I have 2 children, 3& 5 & am in the middle of a divorce. I have worked
> professionally to support the rights of parents with disabilities. My
> husband
> & I both have CP. He also has a severe hearing impairment, ADHD & has been
> diagnosed with several cognitive impairments including memory, information
> encoding & personalities disorders. He basically functions like a person
> with
> a closed-head injury or TBI in that his behaviors & judgment are very
> inconsistent. He is also on high doses of meds which make it very
> difficult to
> wake him up. I wish to emphasize that he has resisted all rehabilitation
> efforts at work and at home.
>
> But now he is seeking overnight visits with both children who are both
> seriously asthmatic. We are seeking a GAL (child advocate). However, if
> that
> fails, I am looking for ways to deal with emergency situations which would
> work independent of him to keep the children safe. For example, fire. He
> says
> he has a smoke detector with a flashing light. However, this may not wake
> him
> up & he is very slow to respond. He has never woken up independently to
> care
> for the children.
>
> 1). I've heard there are smoke alarms that can notify the fire department
> directly. He lives in an apartment so a security system may not be an
> option.
> If it exists, where can I get it?
>
> 2). He cannot hear the apt. buildings fire alarm & this has been
> demonstrated.
> This is a large apt. complex. Any ideas?
>
> 3). He cannot hear the children wheeze or cough even when he's awake. Its
> worst @ night. Are there baby cry alarms that can pick up wheezing?
>
> 4). Are there ways to notify 911 personnel of these issues so they can
> respond
> appropriately to a medical emergency?
>
> Addressing these issues & others would be most helpful. The hearing on
> GAL/
> overnights is on 2/2.
>
> Again, the solutions cannot rely on him. He totally denies there are
> concerns
> & even when modifications or accommodations are put into place, he doesn't
> use
> them.
> Thank you for any assistance