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Everyone agrees that shared living (also known as adult foster care) may be suitable for people with mild disabilities but that the most severely disabled need skilled round-the-clock care by properly trained staff in group homes. The question is where to draw the line. According to Mr. Williams, nearly all residents are candidates for foster care and BHDDH is committed to moving as many as possible. However, informants with long experience working in the RICLAS group homes tell me that MOST residents have severe developmental and/or physical disabilities. Many are confined to wheel chairs, nonverbal, incontinent, have very difficult behaviors, etc. Can an ordinary family, quite likely doing it only for the money, really be trusted to provide an adequate standard of care? If there is neglect or abuse it will be much harder to detect in the isolated environment of a foster family than in a group home where there are always other people around. And what happens when the foster carers grow old?

Many residents have developmental disabilities so severe that they are unable to express their preferences and make a free choice. Will they be moved?

I have started a petition against this ill-conceived plan on change.org. I hope you will sign it (go to that site and do a search on "Shenfield" to find the petition). See also my article on this issue at RIFuture.org.