A Mother's Touch: The Tiffany Callo Story - Hardcover

Mathews, who in Escalante (1988) wrote about the superteacher who inspired his L.A. barrio students, now profiles another crusader against all odds: Tiffany Callo, a cerebral-palsied mother who fought the State of California for custody of her two sons. Callo, wheelchair-bound since childhood, had her two babies taken from her by the Santa Clara Department of Social Services immediately after their births. She was allowed one visit a week- -supervised by a cold, prejudiced social worker--in a huge and crowded auditorium aptly called ``the Zoo.'' Callo found a lawyer to represent her in a custody appeal, and a different social worker--herself the wife of a disabled man--became involved in the case. Her evaluation of Callo was that she was a caring and competent mother and that her slow pace in performing basic tasks like diapering could actually be an asset, an opportunity for bonding with the babies. The social worker and Callo's lawyer had hopes for the case at the State Supreme Court level if custody was denied at the lower level. But by that time, Callo had been worn down by her long struggle and agreed to let her children be adopted by their current foster parents on the condition that the children be kept together and that she be able to visit them twice a year; unfortunately, these conditions were met only partially. Though apparently no saint, Callo comes across here as capable and deserving of raising her children, with assistance from attendants and special equipment. Mathews argues that the cost of these extra aids, even if borne by the state, would be less than those of foster care. Mathews goes beyond Callo's story to examine the issues arising from the movement of the disabled toward more independent and full lives. There will be other Tiffany Callos, he predicts, pleading convincingly for more humane, compassionate, and imaginative treatment of them. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

With an aging population swelling the ranks of the physically disabled, who numbered 43 million in 1987, Newsweek correspondent Mathews ( Es ca lan te ) here addresses the complex issue of their rights, including parenting. To dramatize the legal, financial and social obstacles that confront the handicapped who seek self-sufficiency, he effectively uses the poignant case of a struggle against bureaucracy by disabled 19-year-old Californian Tiffany Callo, who sought to recover her two healthy children, whom the Department of Social Services had put up for adoption, deeming her unfit to raise them. Thanks to a sympathetic reporter (also handicapped), her court hearing attracted wide media attention, as well as support from a disabled attorney and an understanding psychologist, among others. While Callo was unable to secure custody of her sons, the case engendered state and federal civil rights legislation, such as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, designed to improve conditions and open up employment opportunities for the handicapped. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.