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Chrissie Williams

Christine “Chrissie” Marie Williams (née Bennett) was a white disabled woman born in 1972. In her early twenties, she lived at Harmony House in Pasadena, California, where she experienced institutional abuse and medical neglect before the facility’s 1994 reform and later renaming as Rosewood Community Home. She met Jon Williams in 1994, later married him, and raised their daughter Rachel with him.

Early Life and Background

By her early twenties, Chrissie lived at Harmony House and shared a room with Lizzie Henderson. She had an intellectual disability, epilepsy involving more than one seizure type, and untreated sleep apnea.

Under director Sharon Mitchell, staff verbally targeted Chrissie and dismissed her seizures as manipulation. A regional-center investigation in 1994 documented the abuse. The home’s private nonprofit operator terminated Mitchell and appointed Dr. Ellen Matsuda interim administrator. The new administration introduced person-centered support, restored attention to residents’ medical needs, and added a scheduled rest period; Chrissie’s seizure frequency declined after the changes.

Chrissie attended tutoring sessions at the Pasadena Public Library, where she met Jon in 1994.

Health, Disability, and Access

Chrissie had Down syndrome, autism, an intellectual disability, epilepsy, sleep apnea, and hypothyroidism. She communicated most effectively through concrete language, familiar wording, and time to process. New or multi-step situations could require repetition and direct support.

In later adulthood, Chrissie used CPAP during sleep and took daily medication managed within the household’s established routines. Her home access system included an emergency button, remote camera monitoring, and a seizure monitor. She could follow practiced seizure-safety steps and complete familiar household tasks, while medication management, medical decisions, and unexpected emergencies required support.

Tastes and Preferences

Chrissie collected smooth blue stones and enjoyed watching birds. These interests continued across her years at Harmony House and her later family life.

Family and Core Relationships

Rachel Williams

Rachel was born in 2001. Her middle name, Elizabeth, honored Chrissie’s longtime friend Lizzie. Chrissie and Rachel remained part of the same Portland household after the family’s 2013 move from California.

Lizzie Henderson

Chrissie and Lizzie shared a room at Harmony House and became close friends. Around 1998, Lizzie and Michael moved together into a split house with Chrissie and Jon. Rachel was born into that established chosen-family household in 2001. Lizzie died from medical complications when Rachel was ten or eleven, approximately 2011–2012; the exact date, precise cause, location, and people present have not been established.

Michael Bell

Main article: Chrissie Williams and Michael Bell

Chrissie met Michael at Harmony House in the early 1990s. They protected and supported each other during the institution’s abusive period and remained chosen family after leaving it.

Romantic and Significant Relationships

Jon Williams

Main article: Jon and Chrissie Williams

Chrissie met Jon at the Pasadena Public Library in 1994 while he was a doctoral student at the California Institute of Technology. Their friendship developed through regular library and weekend visits. Her case was approved in late 1995, and she moved in with Jon immediately. They married later; the exact marriage date has not been established.

During Jon’s 1994 hospitalization for cellulitis and sepsis, Chrissie learned that he had begun waking on Friday and was extubated on Saturday. She visited him on Sunday before his discharge later that week.

Jon and Chrissie supported one another across their disabilities and daily needs. Their household used consistent routines and access systems while preserving Chrissie’s participation in decisions and family life. In winter 2013, they moved with Rachel from California to Portland, Oregon.

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