Study shows lack of equal rights for parents with disabilities

A new report finds that being a parent still faces many barriers and biases for people with disabilities.

 

The report from the National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency, is viewed by the disability-rights community as by far the most comprehensive ever on the topic.

 

The report says the U.S. legal system is not adequately protecting the rights of parents with disabilities, citing child welfare laws in most states which allow courts to determine whether a parent is unfit on the basis of a disability. 

 

Child-welfare experts say they share the goals of expanding supports for disabled parents and striving to keep their families together. But they say the removal of children from their parents -- notably in cases of significant intellectual disabilities -- is sometimes necessary even if wrenching.