Developmental Disabilities Administration Archives

‘The Situation Is Dangerous.’ Parents Sound Alarm Over Troubled In-Home Care Provider

By Austin Jenkins December 7, 2021

Andrew Simmons, right, blows bubbles with his father Bo last spring. Andrew, who's profoundly autistic and mostly non-verbal, lives in a supported living home in Snohomish County operated by Aacres WA, a troubled state contractor. Bo Simmons says conditions in the home over the past year have deteriorated to the point of being dangerous for Andrew and his housemates.

Mysterious bruises. An unreported burn. Two vulnerable clients left alone overnight. These are just some of the complaints that families are leveling against Aacres WA — a troubled residential care provider that gets tens of millions of dollars a year from the state to care for people with developmental disabilities. Now state officials say they’re investigating.Read More

Former Caregiver Charged In 2019 Vinegar Death Of Spokane Woman With Developmental Disabilities

By Austin Jenkins June 15, 2021

In February of 2019, a 64-year-old developmentally disabled woman named Marion Wilson died after being given cleaning vinegar instead of colonoscopy prep medicine. Since then, the details of what happened have remained a closely guarded secret. Illustration by Ryleigh Brimhall

A former caregiver for people with developmental disabilities has been criminally charged in connection with the 2019 death of a client who ingested a large amount of household cleaning vinegar.Read More

She Lost Her Sister To COVID-19. It Highlights Risk To People With Developmental Disabilities

By Austin Jenkins June 19, 2020

A montage of photos captures special moments in the life of Sharon Gowdey who had Down syndrome and died of COVID-19 in April. People with developmental disabilites appear to have a much higher risk of death from the virus. Courtesy of Kathleen Hesseltine

Early data show a 13.5 percent death rate among people with developmental disabilities who live in state-supported, community-based settings and have tested positive. That’s nearly triple Washington’s current statewide death rate of 4.6 percent. It’s a similar story in other states, including Oregon. Read More

Disabled Woman Received Vinegar Instead Of Colonoscopy Prep. Secrecy Shrouds Her Death

By Austin Jenkins January 9, 2020

The Spokane County Medical Examiner determined Mary Wilson, a developmentally disabled woman, died from ingesting household vinegar. The cleaning strength product, with six percent acidity, had inflamed and killed the tissue in Wilson’s esophagus, stomach and small bowel resulting in her death. Her caregiver was supposed to give her prescribed liquid ahead of a colonoscopy.Read More

Investigation Underway After Developmentally Disabled Spokane Woman Dies From Vinegar

By Austin Jenkins December 13, 2019

This Spokane home is where a caregiver allegedly gave Marion Wilson, a 64-year-old developmentally disabled woman, a fatal dose of cleaning vinegar instead of colonosocopy prep solution. A state criminal investigation into the death is now underway. CREDIT: Doug Nadvornick/Spokane Public Radio

The Medicaid fraud division of the Washington Attorney General’s office is conducting a criminal investigation into the death of a developmentally disabled woman who died last February in Spokane. The existence of the state’s investigation, which began in August, has not been previously reported.Read More

Washington Mother And Advocate For Developmental Disability Services: ‘Move To Oregon’

By Austin Jenkins November 20, 2019

Lindsey Topping-Schuetz poses for a photo with her three-year-old son Owen before testifying about the challenges families face in obtaining state-paid developmental disabilities services.

Currently, nearly 14,000 people who meet the Washington state's criteria as developmentally disabled are not receiving services. They’re on what’s known as the no-paid services caseload.Read More

Are Developmental Disability Services A Constitutional Right In Washington?

By Austin Jenkins September 30, 2019

At St. Peter's Hospital in Olympia, Guinotte slept on the floor because he would use his bed frame to reach the ceiling tiles and knock them down. CREDIT COURTESY CAROLYN GUINOTTE

For years, families of the developmentally disabled in Washington and their advocates have been frustrated that services in an institution, like one of the state’s Residential Habilitation Centers (RHCs), are an entitlement, but services in the community are not.Read More

13,000+ Washingtonians Qualify For Developmental Disabilities Services, But Don’t Get Them

By Austin Jenkins September 25, 2019

Lindsey Topping-Schuetz holds her nearly three-year-old son Owen who qualifies for developmental disabilities services, but has been denied them because of a lack of state funding. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS / N3

Fifty years ago, Owen might have been institutionalized because of his developmental disabilities. Today, his family just wants to take care of him at home. But they can’t get services from the state to help. And they’re not alone.Read More

‘It Feels Really Horrible’: Developmentally Disabled Adults Stuck In Washington Psychiatric Hospitals

By Austin Jenkins September 16, 2019

Western State is one of the largest psychiatric hospitals west of the Mississippi River. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS

Not only are these patients being hospitalized unnecessarily, they’re taking up beds needed by other patients. As of Sept. 6, the state said there were 19 patients waiting for a bed at Western and Eastern State Hospitals.Read More

Washington State Racks Up Contempt Orders, Fines As Developmentally Disabled Patients Languish

By Austin Jenkins September 9, 2019

Dawn Akerman and her brother Fred pose while having lunch together before he returned to the hospital in June. Courtesy of Dawn Akerman

In recent months, court commissioners on both sides of the Cascades have found the state of Washington in contempt, and even imposed fines, over access to state psychiatric care for people with severe developmental disabilities. The cases involve people who’ve been found to pose an imminent risk to themselves or others, but are languishing in local hospitals.Read More

Families, Advocates Sound Alarm Over Patients Stuck In Washington Hospitals Without Medical Need

By Austin Jenkins August 30, 2019

In this photo, Christopher Davis, who is autistic and nonverbal, is shown restrained to his hospital bed in Spokane. He has been hospitalized for more than eight months without a medical need to be there. Courtesy of Deborah Davis

Hospitals are costly places to get healthcare and not therapeutic environments. So why does Washington have hundreds of people in hospital beds with no need to be there? Because there’s a lack of community beds for people with behavioral challenges. Read More

Washington Cancels Two More Contracts With In-Home Care Provider Following Scrutiny

By Austin Jenkins August 20, 2019

Tammie Corter with her son Tyler Groseclose who is severely autistic and non-verbal and a current client of Aacres Washington in Spokane. COURTESY TAMMIE CORTER

The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) announced the contract terminations Tuesday, the same day the state placed Aacres Washington LLC (Spokane) and Aacres Washington LLC (Spokane County #2) on provisional certification status “based on serious non-compliance with the law and regulations.”Read More

Troubles Resurface For Washington In-Home Care Provider After ‘Unusual And Troubling’ Death

By Austin Jenkins August 14, 2019

It’s been more than a year since the state Department of Social and Health Services took the unprecedented step of shutting down a major in-home care provider for developmentally disabled adults. Now, 16 months after the provider’s sister company, Aacres Washington, took over care of many of those vulnerable adults, the cycle is repeating itself.Read More