Perry baby case continues

Al Perry—the father of Dorothy Perry, the 23-year-old developmentally disabled mother whose infant Jacob was taken away from her by Children’s Services in April 2009—is continuing his fight for the rights of the developmentally disabled to raise their own children.

“We did not get offered any services before Jacob was taken,” said Perry, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which says that “reasonable accommodation” in the form of supportive services be made to help prevent the removal of a child from the home of a disabled parent.

The Chico man wouldn’t speak specifically (“so it doesn’t jeopardize Dorothy’s case”) about Dorothy’s ongoing attempt to bring Jacob home, but said that he has been in contact with the California Foster Care Ombudsman’s Office.

Perry (pictured at center) plans to organize “a town-hall meeting for the disabled throughout Butte County” in June “to find out how many disabled families this has happened to,” in a quest to determine if Children’s Services has been following ADA guidelines. For more info, call Perry at 892-2116.