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Donald James Biography
I was born in 1949 with Cerebral Palsy. At birth the doctors were unable to get me to breath, which caused some damage to portions of my brain. The doctors told my parents to place me into an institution, and they gave me six months to live. Out of love and dedication, both mom and dad proved the doctors wrong. During the first four years of my life, mom took me to Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy daily, while at the same time she worked third shift as an LPN. When I reached school age, I needed to take yearly IQ tests before entering school to prove that I was not intellectual challenged. After elementarily school the family moved to Niantic, CT so I could attend junior high school.
After high school I studied Electronics at the University of Hartford. Knowing that I would not be able to find work at the local repair shops, I saved up my money while working as a janitor in the post office. I was told that I would not be able to be a mail carrier. I decided to quit the job and open James Electronics in 1974. I was able to hire two friends who were married at that time. Seven months latter my health had caused my to close down the shop to recuperate. On
June 20, 1980, on my birthday, I was able to buy a two family house. Shortly after, I opened James Family Care Home, licensed by the state, for adults who were psychiatrically challenged. This gave me 12 years of clinical study in the psychological field. The state closed down all 13 Family Care Homes in 1992. With no income I lost the house two years latter in foreclosure. In 1984 I was diagnosed with Spinal Arthritis in my neck, and was operated on to relive pressure from my spinal cord, which forced me to use a motorized wheelchair. During the operation and my recovery Donna, the friend who had worked at my shop, moved in to help out with the home. Shortly after, I married and had a son named Justin Joseph James (Joe). The marriage did not work out and I was divorced three years later. In 1985, I decided to go back to college to get an Associates Degree in Human Services.
In 1992 I had landed a job with the Connecticut United Disabilities Action Groups, Inc. (CUDAG), where I was a Community Organizer. My job was to help organize three statewide groups around issues concerning, Personal Assistance, Public Transportion and Public Accessibility. In 1995 I was terminated from CUDAG because of lack of funding.
I then decided to start D & L Consultants LCC as an Independent Consultant. I was able to work under a sub-contract with the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services as an Independent Living Consultant, Resource Coordinator (Community Bridging Project) Connect to Work Center. My duties were to help individuals with disabilities to defined goals and preparing for to meet with their BRS councilor. I continue to work as Conservator with Probate Court/Personal Manager to help people with disabilities live as independently as their disabilities would allow.
In January 1997 while attending a protest, with a group called Not Dead Yet, in Washington, DC, protesting doctor assistive suicide, where I met Lisa Abbey who was a paraplegic and had a Traumatic Brain Injury. In May 1999 we were married. In April Lisa gave birth, naturally, to our son Peter Adam James. In January 2007 we got divorced.
