Disabled Parents Seen As Unfit For Their Kids: Report

Handicap rights legislation hasn’t removed barriers to basic human right, parenthood

Millions of disabled parents are at a disproportionate risk of being declared unfit to parent their children because of their handicap, according to a new report by the National Council on Disability. The report says that the U.S. legal system is not properly protecting the rights of parents with disabilities, citing child welfare laws in many states that determine a parent’s fitness based solely on their disability. More than 6.1 million U.S. children have disabled parents, according to the report, titled “Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children.” The 445-page document is seen in the disability-rights community as the most comprehensive ever produced on the topic. Child-welfare experts said they shared the goals of the NCD, but argued that removal of children from parents with intellectual disabilities is necessary even if heartbreaking. (Associated Press)

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