The journey of Ed Etter Jr. to a home of his own is a telling documentary of the evolution of developmental disability services in California.

In 1943, Ed Jr. was born in Missouri while his father, a Navy man, was bravely fighting in World War II.  When Mr. Etter came home from the war, his wife was missing, and so was his newborn son. According to Mr. Etter, Mrs. Etter took everything (even the light bulbs) and moved to California.  Eventually she placed an eight-year-old Ed into Sonoma State Hospital.

Mr. Etter diligently searched for his son, finally tracking him down in 1954. What happened next boggles our enlightened minds - Sonoma State Hospital refused to release Ed to his father. On October 5, 1954, a well-meaning social worker at Sonoma State Hospital wrote to Mr. Etter, “We feel that since he seems to be so happy here, it might be best to let well enough alone.” Mr. Etter sent many letters, and spent many years appealing to have Ed live with him to no avail.

In 1971 Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California, began closing mental health facilities and pulling community aid.  After 20 years at Sonoma State Hospital, Ed was transferred to the DeWitt Center in Auburn, where he continued to move from one care home to the next. In 1994, Ed was living at a “not-so-caring” care home in Oak Park. His room was basically an alcove with a cloth curtain, and the other seven residents had to go through his room to get to their rooms. He had a reputation of being combative, and assaultive, probably because his “stuff,” particularly his Elvis Presley records, kept getting taken or broken by other residents.

Ed was withdrawn, on many medications for his “behaviors,” and unhappy living in a congregate situation.  At this time Ed began participating in the INALLIANCE Community Training Program, which serves individuals with developmental disabilities interested in vocational and community skills training. Ed began working in Sacramento where he spent many happy years employed at the New Helvetia Coffeehouse.

Ed was eager to live in his own home, and the INALLIANCE Supported Living Services program was in need of a roommate for another participant - Ed was the perfect candidate.  At first, the state denied Ed Supported Living Services because he could not actually say the words, “I want supported living services.”  Ed was telling people in every way he could that he needed a less congregate living situation, but his inability to speak those words kept him from communicating his needs.

With the dedication and advocacy of Area Board III and INALLIANCE, Ed's voice was finally heard and he moved into a little house on 58th Street in Sacramento. Two years later, Ed’s father came out from Ohio to visit him for the first time in 20 years. From that day on, Mr. Etter, although quite ill himself, visited Ed regularly and provided for his every need.

When Mr. Etter passed away in 2008, he left INALLIANCE over $300,000 in gratitude for the support provided to his only son. His donation was used to fund a fleet of wheel-chair accessible vans that transport people to jobs and volunteer settings.  On December 16, 2010, Ed Etter Jr. passed away at the age of 67.  In his own home, Ed enjoyed privacy, peace and the knowledge that no one would touch his “stuff” without permission. His time out of the institution allowed Ed to become a true member of his community; he gained life-long friends, and most of all, dignity.