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How it All Began...

(The following was on the original Mothers From Hell homepage)

WHAT the hell . . .

The Mothers from Hell originated in Eugene, Oregon. We are a group of parents who have children with various disabilities. We have accepted the responsibility of being advocates / activists on behalf of our children. Our activities include getting medical, educational and community services for our kids (not always easy!!), networking, giving each other moral support and hints on strategy and even socializing.

We have also definitely not lost our sense of humor........... So - WHY did we turn into the Mothers from Hell?

WHY the hell. . .

Ever been frustrated in your dealings with Schools, Health Care Professionals or Insurance Companies? If you have dreamed of kicking bureaucrats in the butt then you just might be ready for the Mothers from Hell............... The squeaky wheel DOES get the grease, and as long-time advocates we understand that sometimes the only way to get the services we need is to be knowledgeable about our rights, and to not let the system push us around. How do we do this?

HOW the hell. . .

The essence of Mothers from Hell is in networking and sharing resources. The first step in being a successful advocate is knowledge - knowing what your rights are, what resources are out there and how "the system" works in your area. Please email us with any strategies you have found to be successful in dealing with educational, medical, community agencies, or with any disability issue. We will compile a selection of submissions to share with all.

Basic Mothers From Hell 2 Information

Why the name Mothers From Hell 2? Unfortunately parents and families of individuals with disabilities very often have to become quite adversarial in order to obtain the basic rights and services the individual is entitled to. It is commonplace for those in a position to administer or deliver services to be resentful of our insistence and begin to refer to us in disparaging terms - "mothers from hell" being one of the more printable names. Realizing the need for a more acceptable title we also operate under the assumed business name of "Advocacy For the Rights of Individuals With Disabilities Organization."

Mothers From Hell 2 (MFH2) is a grass-roots parent advocacy group, fighting for the appropriate education, community acceptance, desperately needed services, rights of, and entitlements for individuals with disabilities. We offer support and empowerment for families of individuals with special needs.

The original MFH was founded in 1992 by a group of mothers of children with special needs in Eugene, OR in response to the extreme difficulty of obtaining services. At the end of 1999 due to various personal reasons they decided to fold their MFH and hope that another group would start up. Four of us mothers of children with special needs here in IL did not want to see this valuable support and resource disappear, so we are eagerly forming MFH2.

MFH2 intends to advocate individually, locally, and nationally for the rights of every individual with a disability to receive the services and inclusion to which they are entitled. We will educate, entertain and empower families in many ways including: newsletters, presentations, exhibits, products, a website, assisting in forming support groups, and attendance at individual meetings locally to assist with education planning and career choices, etc.

Putting it into Perspective

"It can be a difficult concept for the general public to grasp that community inclusion and appropriate services for individuals with disabilities are entitlements in our country. They are not ‘frilly extras’ or a ‘second dessert.’

I explain it like this: anywhere in the United States when your house and garage are on fire you call the fire department and you fully expect them to arrive promptly and complete their job entirely - it is an entitlement here. Now, what if the fire department came two hours after you called, put out only the garage fire and told you that you should be darn glad they did that much? You would probably be outraged.

This is exactly what happens when the child who needs occupational therapy, speech therapy, adaptive physical education, and an assistive communicative device in order to participate in his natural environment of a third grade classroom receives only speech therapy, started after the school year is well under way, and the school district presents this grudgingly and as though they were doing the child some sort of favor.

"Thus our outrage! Thus our creation of the Mothers From Hell 2!"

Beth Randall
Mothers From Hell 2  Founder and Past President