Institutionalization

I’m safe, fed, and have my physical needs met, but it wears on me. The sameness, and increasingly, the small indignities.

The disability rights movement says people with disabilities should live in the community, not in institutions. Texas funds five hours of care a day. I need 24. I’m sitting in the gap.

Without a written standing order, every meal becomes a negotiation, and I am the one who loses every time.

A school for the blind sorted kids into teams by cognitive ability. Team 5 was college-track. Team 6 was group home track. I was Team 5. When I asked for Team 6, they said no.