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Source: The Roanoke Times, Va.mini storageAug. 13--The room shook as he came bounding down the hall and into the living room, every bit of 12 years old and 6 feet tall. Stopping to tower over his grandmother, Keion Wiley brought his face close to hers and stared.Erlene Nunn peered back into her grandson's eyes, then spoke in a calm, clear voice."I love you," she said, slowly.And then he was gone, shrieking with delight back down the hall, disappearing into his bedroom. Nunn turned to her partner, Gloria Chapman, and gave a threadbare smile. It's OK.The walls of their northwest Roanoke home lay bare -- no framed photos of smiling faces, no artwork or timepieces. This is to protect Keion, a severely autistic boy who, on the best day, can function at the level of a 4-year-old. It's been almost 12 years since Chapman, 67, and Nunn, 58, adopted their grandson because of family circumstances. Now time is catching up with them, and with it mounting concern over what might happen to their grandson if they can't find the help they need."You can open the doors and these babies will be safe," Nunn said, "but not all of them."For those unable to live in the Roanoke Valley without mindful supervision, a proposed expansion by the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center may provide hope for children such as Keion. It's part of a statewide trend that started in 2011 after the U.S. Department of Justice issued a directive to the state to draw down the number of institutionalized training centers used to assist intellectually and developmentally disabled people, and replace them with smaller, community-based options.Angela Leonard, the executive director of the center, has confirmed that she is seeking to purchase a house near her Roanoke County campus to use as a space to offer a realistic training ground for students with autism."We have a certain adolescent population here who need practice with day-to-day living skills," Leonard said. "That can be anything from personal hygiene to cooking to taking care of their household jobs."Leonard said students have a tough time incorporating skills taught in a typical classroom setting into the routines of their lives at home. If a special-use permit is approved, and the house purchased, students will have access to a kitchen where they can learn to prepare their own meals, living room carpets for vacuuming, and a laundry room for learning how to wash clothes."We also have the opportunity there that we would possibly put in a greenhouse," she added.For Keion, access to such a place in the valley would work wonders for his potential ability to live a more independent life someday. It's a bittersweet hope for his caretakers, who tussle with the mental battle of what his life will be like once they're gone.And when they talk about a "best case scenario"? Tears."He'll have purpose," Nunn said. "I think every human being needs purpose in life -- and he'll have positive purpose."Chapman nodded."If he can have more of that to consume his energy and focus ..." she trailed off. "Because when he doesn't have purpose, he becomes frustrated."And that's when their current home life can get dicey. At nearly 200 pounds, and roughly the size of a high school football player, an angry Keion is a force with which to be reckoned -- as evidenced by the hole in one of the living room walls and scratches on furnself storageture from where he tried to pull the television from its wooden media center while in a rage.With the help of Medicaid waivers, Nunn and Chapman met Patrick Ford, a 20-year-old nursing student who comes to their home multiple times a week to spend time with Keion. Ford isn't at their home around the clock, but he's still described by Chapman and Nunn as God-sent -- especially as they await news on the fateof the autism center's expansion.In 2008 the Justice Department launched its inquiry into Virginia's disability system, including the Central Virginia Training Center in Lynchburg. Three years later, the department issued a stern letter to Gov. Bob McDonnell, accusing the state of providing inadequate services to those with developmental disabilities and violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.To avoid a lengthy legal battle with the federal government, McDonnell announced a settlement agreement in January 2012. Under the agreement, four state training centers were scheduled to be shuttered by 2020. The long-term goal, as expressed by the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services spokeswoman Meghan McGuire, was to emphasize a community-based, not institutionally based, system for services.In the next decade, more than 4,000 new Medicaid Intellectual Disability Waiver slots will move people back into their communities. According to McGuire, a majority of families have opted to use waivers for the community-based facilities, despite a long waiting list. As of May 2013, more than 7,800 people were waiting for waiver slots -- and 3,900 of those were considered urgent cases.In the past three decades, the population of students in training centers has declined from 6,000 to just under 780. Currently, 10,000 people are served in their communities through the help of Medicaid or other waivers. An additional 8,000 people are still waiting for those services, according to information released by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.Decreasing numbers of people in state-run training centers have eliminated wait listing, but as fewer people turn to that option the cost per person has risen. In 2012, the average cost per person in a training center was $224,245, up from approximately $216,000 in the previous fiscal year. Meanwhile, the per person cost to new community facilities with waiver services is $105,860.Across the state, 101 people transitioned to community-based services in fiscal year 2012. In fiscal year 2013, 155 made the same move, according to data provided by McGuire.For Chapman and Nunn, the idea of being able to keep Keion close to home eases any concerns that he'll be treated with dignity and respect. For them, the local autism center is a familiar place with faces they've grown to know and trust.Leonard said she's thankful there are state-run institutions for families who have no other option, but also appreciates the trend to keep students in their communities. She has a disabled child of her own, though, and can relate to the feelings expressed by Chapman and Nunn."I want him to live here with me," she said. "So in that way, I think it's good for us to start right here and right now."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.) Visit The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.) at .roanoke.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉