Family of young man with autism frustrated with restrictions: ‘Texas is treating him differently’
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jack Fawell will be celebrating his 21st birthday on Friday.
It’s a milestone for any young man, but his parents, Doug and Amy, said they are frustrated they won’t be able to celebrate together.
“He’s a healthy 20-year-old, and the state of Texas is treating him much, much differently than other 20-year-olds in the state of Texas — for one reason. The reason is that he’s disabled and lives in a group home,” Doug said.
Jack’s parents said he has moderate functioning autism with severe behaviors. He lives in a Type-A Assisted Living Facility.
While many industries and businesses are back open, albeit with capacity and mask restrictions, Jack’s facility is still on full “lockdown.” In mid-March, the state restricted non-essential visitors at these homes, after COVID-19 began to spread among communities housing elderly, vulnerable Texans.
“So, our son is a 20-year-old who’s probably the healthiest person in our household,” Doug said. “In his group home are all young men and women that are 21 years old or younger. That’s, you know, not a big, high-risk factor group, and yet he’s being treated like he’s someone who’s got all these co-morbid conditions and someone who’s generally elderly, in a nursing home.”
Regarding the restrictions, a spokesperson for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission said, “Current state guidance to long-term care facilities, including assisted living facilities, requires that facilities limit visitors to only essential visitors who are providing critical assistance and have been properly screened.”
Doug and Amy said the staff at the home are following all the state’s guidelines, but are allowed to come and go. So, they said they requested the opportunity to be able to come see their son for his birthday, “taking the proper precautions,” but said HHSC denied their request.
Governor Greg Abbott announced they were working on a plan to provide a safe way for people to visit loved ones in long-term care facilities.
In mid-June, Gov. Abbott told KTAB News in Abilene, “We expect to make an announcement in a week or two that will provide some way of having loved ones go into a nursing home and be able to physically see their family member, using strategies to make sure we are not importing COVID-19 in those nursing homes to make sure that we keep them healthy and do not increase the risk of death.”
KXAN Investigators have reached out to the Governor’s office several times for an update, in light of a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the state, but haven’t heard back.
Meanwhile, Doug and Amy said they feel the state has “lumped” all types of homes together, without a qualitative look at how people are being affected.
“Abbott stressed that we cannot treat everybody the same, in his press conference,” Doug said. “And yet, they’re doing exactly the opposite in the group homes.”
They’re worried about how the restrictions are affecting their son and his behavior.
“He needs to get out and stretch his legs. He needs to get out and see other people, and I’m pretty sure that, you know, morale is down for him,” Amy said.
KXAN’s Avery Travis will have more from a behavioral therapist on this issue, Tuesday on KXAN News at 10 p.m.