Fifth Freedom Staff Profile

Karen Vaughn of Indianapolis, Indiana
An accidental shooting at age 18 left Karen Vaughn a total quadriplegic. After several years in various nursing homes, she finally gained her independence thanks to in-home services and other community supports. Today she is an assistive-technology-training consultant and community organizer for people with disabilities. Even now, after 22 years of living and working in her community, State budget cuts threaten her independence. Already in-home provider agencies are reducing services (e.g. she must oftentimes go to bed at 6:00 pm because agencies have pared staff) and, once again, she faces the prospect of becoming a ward of a Medicaid-funded nursing home. "People don't live in nursing homes," she says. "They only exist."