Hello. My name is Faith, and I am 18. Do the parents of paralyzed persons keep custody even after the age of majority, or are they seen as "independents"?
My parents are currently undergoing a divorce, and my dad's attorney says because I am paralyzed, I must be in the custody of a parent or legal guardian. I am a quadriplegic and have no functional movement, so I need to be taken care of 24/7, but I am mentally competent.
0
Legal Question
Started by
Faith_Bynum
, Aug 02 2011 05:17 AM
4 replies to this topic
Top
#3
nomis
-
- Members
-
- 2,801 posts
Advanced Member
- Gender:Male
- Country:New Zealand
- Spinal Injury Level / Relationship:Para T4
- Injury Date:11-02-1970
Posted 02 August 2011 - 05:55 AM
I think what Ratticis means is that the attorney is wrong. I don't know US law but I believe Ratticis is correct and your dad's lawyer is either not very good or he tells fibs (in which case he isn't very good).
"It's the notion that there is no perfection ~ that this is a broken world and we live with broken hearts and broken lives but still that is no alibi for anything. On the contrary, you have to stand up and say hallelujah under those circumstances. " - Leonard Cohen
#4
Tetracyclone
-
- Members
-
- 3,407 posts
Advanced Member
- Gender:Female
- Country:Upstate New York, USA
- Spinal Injury Level / Relationship:C-5-7 incomplete
Posted 02 August 2011 - 12:42 PM
You are legally independent but this is a theoretical state unless you can line up resources to be taken care of. For example, you could go on medicaid and live in a nursing home, which I do not recommend.
A few young people on here have stories in which they were told what you were told by the lawyer. It turned out in one case there had been a large insurance settlement and the parents were trying to keep this member at home because the whole family was living off the settlement while caring for them. That person won control of their money, moved into their own apartment, and hired their own caretakers.
Go slowly, since you do not want to cause a big drama unless it becomes necessary, but find out your own information. Talk to a disability advocate in your area. This link could be helpful:
http://www.ilrgb.org/services
Good luck and keep us informed.
A few young people on here have stories in which they were told what you were told by the lawyer. It turned out in one case there had been a large insurance settlement and the parents were trying to keep this member at home because the whole family was living off the settlement while caring for them. That person won control of their money, moved into their own apartment, and hired their own caretakers.
Go slowly, since you do not want to cause a big drama unless it becomes necessary, but find out your own information. Talk to a disability advocate in your area. This link could be helpful:
http://www.ilrgb.org/services
Good luck and keep us informed.
Look! It's a snail! It's a sloth! Able to creep short distances before lunch!
#5
davjed
-
- Members
-
- 1,166 posts
Member
- Gender:Male
- Country:Central Louisiana
- Spinal Injury Level / Relationship:T12-L1 Incomplete
Posted 02 August 2011 - 01:30 PM
Sounds like you need your own attorney to look after your best interests and desires, especially if there is money and settlement in the deal. Find you a good family practice attorney and be sure your rights are reserved and you stay in charge of your life........
"DON'T TREAD ON ME"
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
