Disabeled Long Island Couple Finally Moves In Together

John Mitty Thursday, July 4, 2013

Paul and Hava Forziano celebrated their marriage months ago, but until recently they were forced to live separately in group homes which would not permit them to share a residence.  The mentally disabled couple and their families launched a federal lawsuit against the groups which kept them apart, a lawsuit which is still not resolved.  Another group was found which would allow the couple to live together, but this is an important civil rights case, and the families and attorneys will not abandon it until it is resolved, because there are probably many other people who are in similar situations to that which Hava and Paul had to deal with.

Only a limited number of groups are available to assist people with mental disabilities.  “You don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” stated attorney Martin Coleman.  “People like Paul and Hava have to have the ability to move around if they want to … We need to be sure they’re not closed out of places.”  The group homes are all licensed as nonprofits by the state, which means they should be subject to the Americans With Disabilities Act, which states that “a public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures … to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability.”

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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