Arieana and Doug said their vows 2,000 miles apart, but their marriages had something in common that neither could have imagined.
They would be used to support arguments that both had mental disabilities and should be controlled by virtual strangers. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
They would be used to support arguments that both had mental disabilities and should be controlled by virtual strangers. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
The pair were sucked into America’s sprawling guardianship system, which was designed as a last-resort protection for people who are incapacitated by a mental or physical disability. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
Arieana and Doug would each fight to liberate themselves from their guardianships.
Only one of them would escape. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
Only one of them would escape. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
The public rarely hears from people under guardianship, but Doug and Arieana overcame tremendous odds to speak to BuzzFeed News. They hid their communications from guardians, concealing burner phones and secretly logging on to computers. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
When Doug’s relatives found out he married a Kenyan American woman, they hired lawyers to persuade a judge to put him under guardianship, citing his struggles with alcoholism and claiming that his new wife was stealing his money. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
When Arieana was 18, she was placed under the permanent control of a guardian without a court hearing. She was later separated from her husband and forced to live in a home where she was abused and neglected. buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
The stories of Arieana and Doug show how people facing complex life challenges can get trapped in guardianships that deny them one of the most fundamental rights of all: to be with the person you love.
Read their stories here: buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
Read their stories here: buzzfeednews.com/article/heidib…
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