Forty years ago, it was not unusual for children with disabilities to disappear from families as their parents were persuaded to send them to institutions due to lack of support, education and other opportunities in their communities. Now, there are thousands of adults with disabilities living in group homes and institutions who have no family connections or contact. Now, those who remember and miss these individuals have a chance to find them after all these years, thanks to a recent 'relative search database' put together by a film maker and the National ARC.
Patricia Bauer reports on an April 21st, 2009 People magazine article �
The Endless Search�':
Families across the country are searching for loved ones with disabilities who were sent away to institutions years ago, often without warning or explanation.
Filmmaker Jeff Daly, creator of the documentary �Where�s Molly?�, has been working to find family links for the estimated 250,000 Americans who live in group homes or state institutions with no family contacts. He and the nonprofit ArcLink have built a
relative search database that has already fostered more than 100 reunions.
I was struck by this story especially because I recently saw an Australian award winning animated (clay) short film on our cable 'On Demand' channel - "Cousin" - about the filmmaker's cousin with Cerebral Palsy, who he lost track of in childhood when his aunt and uncle died in a car wreck.
There was something very disturbing to me at the end of the film, when contact was avoided, even with the hope that his cousin was happy.
I believe most families have an adult relative with a developmental disability or other condition, living in a group home or institution. They are missing out as much as their family members who wait to be found again.
Pam W
SE of Seattle
Inclusion Benefits Classmates Cousins of Children with Special Needs 
