Barret, who has severe cerebral palsy, is one of four people living in a home that is in need of furnishings and entertainment items. But he and partner Mary McNulty can't imagine a better job. Their own morning routines wait until they've gotten the adults in their care showered, dressed, fed and off to their day's activities. The adults who live with them are all in wheelchairs.
None communicate in full sentences, and all require special attention and patience.
To do that, the caretakers say, it's nice to have a few extras. The adults who live with them have all they need to survive, but a few amenities would enrich their daily lives. Paniyak, a Yup'ik, cannot hear due to meningitis when he was a baby. His care was turned over to the state. Though his health is declining, according to legal guardian Donica Mann-Banke, he always seems to be in a good mood.