May 6, 1998
Independence day, every day
Abe Ferris has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. But no matter. He looks forward to celebrating
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Roommate wanted for individual with disabilities ...
So reads the flyer upon which Abe Ferris pins so much hope as he looks for someone to share a Traverse City apartment. Ferris, 22, is again trying to leave his parents' Acme Township home to strike out on his own, a natural right of passage for people his age but one with more complications for a person with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair. The disabilities make everyday routines such as showering or getting out of bed difficult without assistance.
An energetic young man with a zest for life, Ferris is undaunted by the growing pains he experienced earlier this year during his first taste of independence. After a few months living in his apartment, a severe illness and an unstable support system prompted him to return to his parents' home two months ago to reorganize his plan for living independently.
But that small taste of freedom makes him even more determined to work it out next time.
"It was fun to live on my own. I really enjoyed the change," said Ferris, a business student at Northwestern Michigan College. "I learned to arrange things for myself instead of asking for them. I learned that food isn't cheap, and that living on your own isn't an easy thing to do."
Ferris is a pioneer locally, said Cindy Reasoner, a coordinator at Traverse Region Assisted Independent Living, a contract agency of Great Lakes Community Mental Health. Ferris moved directly from his parents' home into his own apartment, bypassing an adult foster care home. Ferris and his family were inventing the rules as they went along, she said.
"It was a big step for all of us to make this happen," Reasoner said. "It is a very new idea. But Abe (Ferris) was right there along with us, making phone calls and arranging things."
Ferris' quest for independence began last spring as a lark. While volunteering at the office of the Bay Area Coalition for Independent Living, a local group of agencies and businesses, Ferris noticed a flyer about the new Bay Hill Apartments under construction near Veterans Drive. The complex was setting aside a percentage of units as subsidized housing, with some of those designed for people who use wheelchairs. On impulse he applied for an apartment. Then ...
"I was really surprised to get the apartment," he said. "I didn't even tell my parents about it because I didn't think I'd get it anyway."
His parents, Dave and Toni, initially were skeptical, too. They were unsure how their son would manage all of his care. But Ferris, his parents, Reasoner and a caseworker from the Family Independence Agency met weekly last fall to chart a plan for his daily care.
"Suddenly Abe was moving from home where everything was done for him to being on his own," Toni Ferris said. "It was a huge challenge for him to take care of his own business and find support when he needed it."
Great difficulty for Ferris are everyday routines, such as showering, shaving, cooking, cleaning and getting in and out of bed. He asked friends to live with him to help, and he planned menus so his father would take him shopping once a week. He also learned to use the BATA bus service to get to doctors' appointments and to school.
But the living situation was worsening, as Ferris found that a roommate as a primary caregiver puts too much stress on the relationship. "It was my idea to have the roommate do everything, but it doesn't work," Ferris said.
After spring break, the uncomfortable roommate situation, compounded by the severe illness, landed Ferris back at his parents' home.
Now, however, Ferris and his support coordinator Reasoner have found funding to pay an aid to help with the daily living and personal hygiene chores. Still, to move back to his own apartment, Ferris must find a roommate who will provide some minimal care, such as cooking an occasional meal or helping him out of bed at night.
So Ferris made the flyer and is posting it around the college campus. And although it may take awhile, he is confident the right person will turn up.
"One of the biggest things about moving back to the apartment is proving to myself and others that I can do it," he said. "I know that if I work hard enough and am determined enough, it will work."