Not Fit For Purpose: Disability rights abuse of children living with FASD in New Zealand
by Ruby King
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Ruby's memoir takes us through her heartbreaking journey as a mother trying, yet failing, to access the right support for her child with high and complex needs as a result of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The story addresses the flawed adoption process and the lifelong damage and trauma that prenatal exposure to alcohol does to the unborn child. It also broaches topics that remain taboo in our society, including: child to parent violence, the government's response to individuals living with FASD, brick walls, gaslighting, and disability rights breaches and abuse in state care. Ruby does not shy away from the ongoing trauma that these experiences have caused, not just for her daughter, but the whole family unit. It should never have happened.
About the Author
Ruby was born in the United Kingdom. As a young woman, her desire to explore the world took her backpacking across many of the harder-to-travel countries. Following her love of adventure, Ruby emigrated with her young adoptive family to New Zealand in 2008. Unfortunately, since her daughter's diagnosis, the lack of awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) means that every ministry has failed to support the family unit. Generally, individuals and their family's needs are ignored; they are shoehorned into services that are coercive and abusive. Ruby has written this memoir in a measure of desperation, to give families such as hers, who just seem to be invisible, a voice. Her aim is to highlight the inequities in policy and services for those living with FASD in New Zealand. Ruby holds an honours degree in social work and a diploma in mental health and addiction studies.