Week 3

Sierra Hernandez – Week Three

Sierra was removed from her mother when she was 6 months old. She was placed with a local family who took her in with love and care. Sierra’s mother was granted visitation by the court and has been a part of Sierra’s life, even though the visitations had to be supervised by the Department of Social Services. Sierra’s mother was still a migrant worker, but she was trying to find a way to find more stable work so that she could have Sierra back. Now, at age 3 ½, Sierra has known only English as a first language, and she regarded her biological mother as a kind stranger.

* What are the major developmental milestones for a 3 ½ year old? What should Sierra be doing physically, cognitively, and emotionally at this point?

* How are foster families identified? What kind of screening is done to assure that families are suitable to care for children? What is the percentage of children who are in foster care who are eventually reunited with their biological families?

* What kind of services are typically provided for families whose children are removed?

* What else is important for you to know about Sierra’s family at this point? (Hint: Think about all that you don’t currently know about the family that could be helpful for you with regard to demographic information.)un

Week 2

Sierra Hernandez – Week Two

6-month old Sierra experienced the world through the lens of her mother’s struggles. One small town for a few months, then on to another one to follow the work. Her mother would always find someone to look after Sierra, someone she would meet in a new town. Often, she found herself at homeless shelters, and others often were able to help her as she went to work. During one of her stays at a shelter, she spoke with another woman from Mexico who agreed to look after Sierra for the day. The woman proved untrustworthy, however, when she left Sierra sleeping for two hours to go to “hang out” with friends across town. She came back high on drugs, and while she was gone, Sierra had woken up and was crying. It was about this time that Sierra returned, just as the Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Protective Services arrived.   

* What is migrant labor? What are the lives of people who do such labor typically like? (Hint: Check out JMU’s Migrant Education Program through IIHHS)

* What are the major developmental milestones for a 6-month old? Given her migrant status, is Sierra’s mother likely to visit a pediatrician? What are the risks associated with a lack of early primary medical care? Is Sierra likely to receive immunizations? What are the risks if she does not?

* What are the risks for Sierra in being given over to the care of relative strangers for periods of time?

DECISION POINT

 

* Write a dialogue of the conversation as it might have taken place between the Child Protective Services worker (from DSS), the mother, and the woman from Mexico who left the child. If you are CPS, do you remove the child from her mother and place the child in foster care? Why or why not?

For the first post, each group will learn some information about each person’s family of origin. This should aid each group in beginning to imagine their respective adoptee. While some of the information may at first appear to be unrelated to our subject of study, life-span issues for individuals with disabilities, fear not. It will all make sense as we move through the semester. 

Sierra Hernandez – Week One

Living in Oaxaca was hard. Up in the morning, work in the fields or the local multinational factory for 32 cents a day, sleep, and then up to do it again. She had to find another way. The latest trade agreement meant that the local businesses that were the lifeblood of her small town just faded away. It almost seemed to happen overnight, and now there was next to nothing left. Surely nothing for her. She made a plan to make her way to the border – she had heard that crossing was harder now, but she had to try. She heard there were coyotes for hire, and that, if you found a good one, you could get across. If you found a bad one, well . . . she knew well the saying hay muchos huesos en el desierto – there are many bones in the desert. She was ready to take the risk.

She kept having strange and unknown feelings in the morning, like she was going to get sick. She didn’t know why. Probably that multinational water she had been drinking. She didn’t think anything of it when she started her journey to el Norte.

By the time she reached a small town just south of the border, the morning feelings were getting worse. The women in Oaxaca would know what to do, would know what this sickness was. But they were miles away. She pressed on. She was unaware of the tiny child slowly taking shape in her belly.

     Provide demographic information regarding the number of individuals who enter the United States each year lawfully. Where are they from? Why do they come?

     Provide demographic information regarding the number of individuals who enter the United States each year unlawfully. Where are they from? Why do they come?

 
What is a coyote? What are the risks associated with such individuals?