Let's compare a life of an individual living with special needs in the Ukraine and United States of America
Ukraine
-In the Ukraine (size of Texas) today there are over 88,000 orphans who need to find good stable homes
-Of those 88,000 there are 30,000 neglected children who have a special need
-Children and adults with special needs in the Ukraine are looked at as second rate citizens and are shielded from public view
-Special need children are transferred to mental institutions once they reach age 4 (this is a nationwide standard)
-Once in an institution they will be dosed daily with heavy sedatives, tranquilizers and other heavy narcotics used to control them better or just to promote "good sleep" if you ask the administrators
-In institutions they will be mistreated and malnourished and will have no quality of life and a low life expectancy
United States
-The United States have 114,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted
-Of those 114,000 there are 34,200-45,600 (30-40%) children that have physical and/or mental disorders
-Government provides many programs to children and adults with special needs: early intervention, schooling, therapy, medical and housing, etc.
-Individuals with special needs are widely accepted and supported by society: governments, families, schools, churches, businesses, etc.
-Will receive excellent care regardless of social status and plight of the child
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Ukraine Child Selection Process - A Story
This is a touching story from, Karen, owner of the Hospitality House in Kiev, as she recounts the emotional rollercoaster ride of the Degnan family as they go through the Ukraine child selection process.
http://hospitalityhousekiev.blogspot.com/2012/03/when-there-seems-to-be-no-way.html
I personally did not go through this process since I adopted a special-needs child. Special-needs children's profiles are available through adoption agencies to help promote children that otherwise would never be known about. When you start the adoption process you pay the adoption agency a fee which is your "down payment" to reserve a particular child. This way the child does not show up on a database for other families to request. We found our child on Reece's Rainbow, which after inquiry, we were directed to contact a specific adoption agency, which was handling representation for that particular child. We had no choice on the agency, but after all was said and done, we were very pleased to have used About A Child.
http://hospitalityhousekiev.blogspot.com/2012/03/when-there-seems-to-be-no-way.html
I personally did not go through this process since I adopted a special-needs child. Special-needs children's profiles are available through adoption agencies to help promote children that otherwise would never be known about. When you start the adoption process you pay the adoption agency a fee which is your "down payment" to reserve a particular child. This way the child does not show up on a database for other families to request. We found our child on Reece's Rainbow, which after inquiry, we were directed to contact a specific adoption agency, which was handling representation for that particular child. We had no choice on the agency, but after all was said and done, we were very pleased to have used About A Child.
Why consider Ukraine for an adoption?
-No adoptions finalized abroad can be reversed by birth families.
-Ukraine is generally quicker than other countries, it usually takes 6 months.
-No upper age limits, must be at least 25 years old.
-You are saving a life of a child. Unlike American children in the foster system, there are no state benefits available to an orphan living in the Ukraine when they are considered an adult at the young age of 16. They are given a small amount of money and are left to the streets where they usually turn to drugs and prostitution. A disabled child at the age of 4 is sent to an institution, where they will become malnourished, sedated, and sentenced to live a life out of a crib until they die. So many children receive the “disabled” label on a condition or syndrome that would normally yield a thriving and fully functioning life here in the United States- especially with our government-paid early intervention, and special education programs. This was the biggest motivator for us.
-Ukraine is generally quicker than other countries, it usually takes 6 months.
-No upper age limits, must be at least 25 years old.
-You are saving a life of a child. Unlike American children in the foster system, there are no state benefits available to an orphan living in the Ukraine when they are considered an adult at the young age of 16. They are given a small amount of money and are left to the streets where they usually turn to drugs and prostitution. A disabled child at the age of 4 is sent to an institution, where they will become malnourished, sedated, and sentenced to live a life out of a crib until they die. So many children receive the “disabled” label on a condition or syndrome that would normally yield a thriving and fully functioning life here in the United States- especially with our government-paid early intervention, and special education programs. This was the biggest motivator for us.
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