I Applaud Colin Farrell for Starting a Foundation to Assist Adults with Disabilities

In the latest issue of, "People," actor Colin Farrell discusses the creation of the Colin Farrell Foundation which, "...will provide support for adult children who have an intellectual disability through advocacy, education, and innovative programs." Farrell has a son named James who has Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. He has worked hard for his son to achieve all that he can--as a good parent does--but noted a big concern. "Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own. All the safeguards that are put in place, special ed classes, that all goes away, so you’re left with a young adult who should be an integrated part of our modern society and more often than not is left behind." He wants to help bridge that gap so he has launched his foundation so that adults who have intellectual disabilities and their family members who care for them can get assistance in various ways.

I'm all for this as it is depressingly true that while many resources are (generally/hopefully) present for children with disabilities (although, our Nation could still do more as I've discussed), adults with disabilities and those who care for them can face a ton of obstacles. It's disgusting to think that there is so much red tape to assist adults with having a quality of life as if fighting for that as a bare minimum is asking too much from the World. We are all human beings with rights whether we are neurotypical, neurodivergent, "able-bodied," or disabled in some fashion, and so forth. Just because someone has any kind of disability that shouldn't disqualify them from being able to live a happy life--or be forced to fight through tons of paperwork to get needed care. I wish the Colin Farrell Foundation were not necessary, but I'm incredibly happy that it now exists along with other agencies that help adults with needs. As my own child, Clarkson, grows it remains to be seen how much assistance he will need with living day-to-day, but I hope he can accomplish anything he wants to set his mind to--with Samii, myself, and any agencies that can assist us too cheering him on.