Ryan's Keys Foundation

Our son Ryan Bubba Slothower was diagnosed at a very early age as high functioning with moderate developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities (DD) are birth defects related to a problem with how a body part or body system works. Frequently, people with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorders, various genetic and chro... mosomal disorders such as Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome, are described as having developmental disabilities (DD) or delays. Ryan was a very happy young man with a great sense of humor, whose laughter warmed the hearts of those around him. Ryans life was simple and it was the little things that mattered most and would make him so happylike all the babies are home (Ryans term when all three of our children were home at the same time), playing with his collection of keys, yellow pads of paper, watching his favorite TV show COPS and listening to the Beach Boys. Ryan was living and thriving in Santa Barbara on a campus based community called Devereux where he went to school and worked various jobs, both on campus and out in the community. We then learned that Ryans program in Santa Barbara was closing down in 2005 and the only option available for Ryan was a supported living program. My wife had always expressed her concerns for a supported living situation for Ryan and young adults with disabilities as she believed there was more potential for abuse than the traditional campus and dorm room setting that Devereux offered our son in Santa Barbara. Little did we know that our greatest fears would become a reality on June 3, 2007. We received the call that is every parents nightmarethat call you feel in the pit of your stomachthat call, which changes your life forever. I still remember that call as though it were yesterday and I still hear the terror in my wifes voice as she yelled to me that Ryan was hurt. We would later learn the details of that day and discover that a man whom we trusted to watch over our son inflicted great bodily harm upon him without cause. ...Read More