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Heather Moore

Heather Moore was a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy and epilepsy who lived in California. Born in 1968, she was the youngest of Bill and Dorothy Moore’s five children and the younger sister of Ellen Moore Matsuda, Mark Moore, Annie Moore, and Richard Moore. In 1995, she lived with her parents and received additional support from a caregiver named Maria.

Early Life and Background

Doctors advised Bill and Dorothy to institutionalize Heather after her birth. Her parents refused and raised her at home with her four older siblings. They arranged caregiver support and included her in family and community life.

Heather grew up before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. Her family’s experience seeking appropriate care, access, and inclusion for her shaped Ellen’s later work as a regional-center quality-assurance and client-rights investigator.

Personality and Communication

Heather was observant, direct, warm, and funny. At a Matsuda family dinner in the summer of 1995, she recognized that her nephew Cody Matsuda and Andy Davis were dating before Cody identified Andy as his boyfriend through his AAC device.

Heather’s cerebral palsy affected the motor coordination required for speech. She spoke at a measured pace, sometimes paused before responding, and had slightly slurred articulation. Her speech remained intelligible to people who allowed her the time she needed. She extended the same patience to other disabled speakers and did not finish their sentences for them.

Health and Disabilities

Heather had cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism and used a wheelchair for mobility. Her records did not establish a cerebral-palsy subtype, the extent of her physical support needs, the type and frequency of her seizures, or the circumstances of her autism diagnosis. She did not have an intellectual disability.

Family and Core Relationships

Bill and Dorothy Moore

Bill and Dorothy rejected the recommendation to institutionalize Heather and kept her at the center of family life. By 1995, Heather still lived with them in California with additional assistance from Maria.

Ellen Matsuda

Main article: Heather Moore and Ellen Matsuda

Ellen was Heather’s oldest sister and was approximately seventeen years older. Growing up with Heather contributed to Ellen’s commitment to disability rights, community-based care, and institutional accountability.

Cody Matsuda

Main article: Heather Moore and Cody Matsuda

Heather was part of Cody’s extended family support system before and after his 1995 suicide attempt and acquired motor apraxia. Her communication differences and ordinary participation in family life gave Cody a familiar example of disability and accommodation within the family.

Friendships and Social Connections

Andy Davis

Heather met Andy at a Matsuda family dinner in the summer of 1995. They spoke directly about their shared experiences of cerebral palsy and epilepsy and allowed one another time to communicate without interruption. Heather acknowledged that disability could be difficult while assuring Andy that he and Cody could support one another.

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