Disability Redefined: Stories From the Front Lines: RR9_7235-copy

Josie Klaaren, 22, shares a tender moment with her father Joshua outside their Asheville, NC home. Joshua is anxious about his developmentally disabled daughter’s future as she is incontinent and unable to express herself due to apraxia. “Who will care for Josie when her mother and I are gone? We can understand her limited speech and we know her needs, but we haven’t been able to find or hire any in-home caregivers. Nobody wants to work for the low wages the state is paying,” he said.

Josie Klaaren, 22, shares a tender moment with her father Joshua outside their Asheville, NC home. Joshua is anxious about his developmentally disabled daughter’s future as she is incontinent and unable to express herself due to apraxia. “Who will care for Josie when her mother and I are gone? We can understand her limited speech and we know her needs, but we haven’t been able to find or hire any in-home caregivers. Nobody wants to work for the low wages the state is paying,” he said.