| From the Director |
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Dear Friend, When J.B. called the Law Center for help, she had lost custody of her three year old son. This all began when the father, who had long physically abused J.B., began to beat up their son, hitting, choking and shaking him, then finally throwing him against a wall. J.B. called the police, but when they found out she has a mental illness, the police took her son from her. They did this even though J.B. lives with her father, and she and the child's grandfather provide a loving, caring home for the little boy. The local prosecutor filed an abuse and neglect petition against J.B. in court, saying that because she has a mental illness, she is unable to care for her son. That was the only reason the petition gave for taking J.B.'s child from her. Despite this fact, the Court ordered that J.B.'s son be placed in a children's shelter. With the Law Center's help, J.B. appealed the Court's decision, saying that the Court did not have good reason to take her son from her. The Navajo Supreme Court dismissed the petition against J.B., and her son is now back in her care. J.B. is taking self esteem/empowerment classes so that she can avoid abusive relationships in the future. Without the Law Center's intervention, J.B.'s son would have remained in a shelter, possibly bouncing from placement to placement. The Law Center advocates for adults and kids with disabilities like J.B. every day. But lack of sufficient funding is having a significant impact on our ability to provide services. We need your help as never before. With the help of generous people like you, the Law Center will be able to preserve the rights of people with disabilities to be free from discrimination. Please consider dedicating $25, $50, $100 or more to support people with disabilities. Whatever you can afford will help make a real difference. Sincerely, Therese Yanan, Executive Director |