A Heartwarming Story
"Peace of Mind...Peace of Mind"
The lives of people with developmental disabilities are always complicated. Growing up, they are often made fun of by other children, moved from school to school searching for decent educational and basic-needs support, and faced with serious medical issues. Sometimes they are even involved in the juvenile justice system due to ridicule from peers, trouble communicating their feelings in productive ways, and problems at home.
For 47-year-old Andrew Beasley, all of these issues were a challenge, but none compared to being faced with the costliest and one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history-- alone.
Andrew had lived in New Orleans his entire life. His mother raised him on her own, and with the help of his many siblings and cousins. When he was a teenager he was pulled out of school because of seizures and minor altercations with other students. Andrew reported that his classmates were constantly making fun of him because he was “slow.” As a result, Andrew never learned to read or write, and remained in the care of his family well into adulthood.
Then, just as the Beasley family thought their struggles had become manageable, another obstacle was approaching at 175 miles per hour.
On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Greater New Orleans and eventually breaching levees and flooding 80 percent of the city and its surrounding parishes. In the end, over 1,836 people lost their lives; New Orleans was left in rubbles, and the country sustained $81.2 billion in damage.
When Katrina hit, Andrew waded through knee-deep water and extremely strong currents, eventually finding the New Orleans Convention Center. The screams and violence were too much for him to handle so he was placed on a bus heading to a church in Arkansas where he stayed for several months before disaster recovery workers were able to locate his sister in Austin.
When The Arc of the Capital Area first met Andrew through his sister’s referral, he was excited to find a home and live independently in the community. Arc Case Manager, Kirsten Mindrum, took him to Foundation Communities’ new complex, Spring Terrace.
“On my first visit to see Andrew’s new place he enthusiastically showed me his apartment, the exercise room, the large TV room, and the outdoor courtyard area,” says Kirsten. “On my second visit, he showed me photos of his family and was talking about getting various household items to make his place feel more like home.”
Now, Andrew is accessing many resources on his own that he did not have access to in New Orleans. For instance, he enjoys ridding the bus and exploring the city. He also likes taking cooking and life skills courses that are offered at Spring Terrace. Most of all, Andrew wants to learn how to read and write.
“I’m very happy living in Austin mostly because now I have peace of mind… peace of mind,” says Andrew. “I’m making good choices about who to be friends with. The only thing I don’t like is that the meat goes bad real fast here… didn’t do that in New Orleans.”
We are glad we could be there to offer Andrew "Peace of Mind"
