------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NewsBank, inc. - The Commercial Appeal - 1998 - Article with Citation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Headline: DISABLED YOUNG MAN BECOMES PIONEER TO HIS COLLEAGUES AT PAL Date: June 24, 1998 Section: Metro Page: B1 Edition: Final Length: 664 words Author: Margaret Paige The Commercial Appeal Index Terms: DISABLED PROFILE HOUSING Text: Independence Day came early for Chris Denton this year. On Tuesday, Denton, 21, disabled since birth, moved from his parents' Bartlett home and his PALs to a life of freedom. Pat Jessup, director of the PALs program at the Memphis Center for Independent Living, said Chris is the first one in the program to move out, and all the others are looking up to him "This is a milestone we haven't crossed yet," Jesup says. "We've been talking about freedom in our program and how it equals responsibility." "Only a few years ago, a person like Chris may wind up in an institution," said Deborah Cunningham, who was disabled by polio when she was 6. Cunningham is the director of the Center for Independent Living, an agency which helps the disabled function in the community. PALs, the acronym for Partners Accessing Life, began at the center five years ago. It covers issues such as friendship, dating and career planning. Chris has been involved with the program 3 1/2 years. "He's learned to relate and be socially acceptable," Jessup said. She said the program maintains self-confidence, self-esteem and develops communication skills. "To be successful, you have to have good relationships, and good communications promote good relationships." During a party last week celebrating his move, Chris ran, grinning from ear to ear, into the next room to his parents to show them his favorite present, a ZZ Tops Greatest Hits CD. Before he began in the program, Chris rarely spoke. But, during the party, he mingled with his friends and family in the center at 163 N. Angelus. Chris will be living in a Cordova duplex. His mother and stepfather live 8 miles away in Bartlett, which, his stepfather, Steve Jackson, says will work well. "When we first started talking about it, they said he might be interviewed for a home in Jackson or Knoxville," Jackson said. "As it turns out, this is a perfect situation." The "they" Jackson refers to are the people at the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. About four years ago, Chris was put on a waiting list for the Medicaid Waiver Program. His parents, however, didn't know that the program couldn't do anything substantial for Chris until he turned 21. His family was getting frustrated. "It's such a jungle to find out what's available," Jackson said. "You've got to get your machete out and go to chopping. "We were at a point when we said, `What are we going to do?' Chris was getting out of school. Then all of a sudden, this started to develop. It was looking pretty hopeless." Chris graduated from Kingsbury High School and, a month later, he's moving out on his own. His mother, Fran Coffey, 50, was worried he would have too much time on his hands. But that was soon disspelled. Chris will have two roommates who also have disabilities and two attendants who will take him about anywhere he wants to go. He will receive vocational training to bring him into society's mainstream. They will go to the movies, parks and the library. "We have a library card for Chris so he can rent videos without having to pay a fee, since he can't take advantage of the reading material," Jackson said. He volunteers at the Alzheimers Center and goes to class once a week at the Center for Independent Living. All along, he'll be growing. "Some parents aren't willing to do this," Jackson said. "They feel like they have some obligation to stay with their children, but they're actually smothering them." \ To reach reporter Margaret Paige, call 529-2322 or send E-mail to paige@gomemphis.com Caption: photo Copyright 1998 The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN Accession Number: 9806240097 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------