Freeing Teresa by Franke James
What's It About?
When an idealistic activist objects to her siblings’ plan to ship their disabled sister off to a nursing home, she’s forced to choose between family and her sister’s freedom.“Forced care is happening to people with disabilities around the world. Most people don’t escape. And the world shrugs.”
Should everyone have the right to choose where they live? The answer seems obvious — of course, choosing where you live is a basic human right.
But for Teresa Heartchild, an artist, self-advocate and author who has Down syndrome, everything changed when that right was taken away from her. Teresa’s older sister, Franke James, gives a true account of the arduous path that led to Teresa’s wrongful institutionalization and eventual rescue in her memoir, Freeing Teresa.
Freeing Her Sister from Wrongful Institutionalization
The memoir opens on the night of November 30, 2013, with cops knocking at the door. Franke, her husband Bill, and her father had just freed Teresa from the nursing home she was forced into. From that tense beginning scene, we jump backward in time to get glimpses of the events leading up to that pivotal day.
Across compilations of “extensive digital records: emails, photographs, videos, audio recordings, police records, health records, court records including sworn affidavits and my journals,” readers are introduced to a cast of people — Teresa’s siblings, father, and the key players in her life. But in all images, Teresa and Franke’s siblings are blurred out, a deliberate approach to reflect their absence in Franke’s life, and their role in Teresa’s. Franke is the only sibling who supports the telling of Freeing Teresa.
With an aging father and a sister with Down syndrome, this group of siblings naturally worries about ensuring their relatives are taken care of. Still, nobody is willing to step forward and do the caretaking, for fear it will interrupt the flow of their lives. Casual discussions turn to planned meetings to determine the future of Teresa and their father’s care, without either’s knowledge or consent.
Wrestling with legal rights such as the power of attorney and Teresa and her father’s right to make her own decisions, things turn dark as Franke and Bill hit dead end after dead end, until pressure spurs the couple into a final decision — to let Teresa live with them. Of course, it’s easier said than done, as the group of siblings will do anything to maintain control.
Climate Activism Lays Foundation to Fight for Disability Rights
Freeing Teresa depicts complex dynamics between family members and harsh ableism directed towards Teresa — but it also celebrates growth, change and humanity. Though this is a portrait of Teresa’s life, her autonomy, intelligence and endless capabilities, it also shows the transformation Franke embarks on over the course of her own life.
Upon seeing Rare, a play starring several actors with Down syndrome, Franke’s eyes are opened to the endless opportunities that are available to Teresa. “It was part revelation, part reminder,” says Franke. “People with Down syndrome are just like any of us.” It will be a long and difficult road to give Teresa a life where she is free to reap all the benefits of a flourishing and self-determined life.
Franke, a career artist and activist herself, intersperses the story with details of how she was blacklisted for her climate change art by the Canadian government. It was this conflict that built the foundations of her activism — something that ultimately prepares her for the battle she fights with and for Teresa. Armed with information about Teresa’s rights, Canadian law, and a determination to record everything, Franke is prepared to do whatever she can to ensure the best possible life for Teresa, no matter what it takes.
“Dedicated To Those Who Are Different”
Freeing Teresa is dedicated to “those who are different” and is a refreshing reminder that people who are different deserve the same dignity and respect as any of us. Franke’s constant persistence that Teresa is so much more capable than anyone expects, and her determination to fight for her sister is inspiring. In 2023, Teresa celebrated the 10-year anniversary of her rescue.
Franke’s wise words make for a touching closing thought: “The struggle for equality is never done. But sometimes by standing up for what’s right, you can make a difference.”
About the Authors
Franke James is an artist, activist and the author of four books on human rights, climate change, free expression and ethics. For her, these issues are all connected by the need to speak up and take action. The spark for Freeing Teresa was lit in 2013. Franke and her husband Billiam James helped her younger sister get out of a nursing home and then helped Teresa ask for an apology. Earlier that same year, Franke had published Banned on the Hill, which led to her winning the BC Civil Liberties Award for Excellence in the Arts. Her related poster campaign, “Do Not Talk About Climate Change,” appeared in three Canadian cities and Washington, DC. In 2015, Franke was awarded PEN Canada’s Ken Filkow Prize for “tenacity in uncovering an abuse of power and commitment to fostering a national conversation in the face of censorship.” Franke lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and her sister, Teresa.
Billiam James is an activist, artist, designer and award-winning videographer. In 2013, he helped his wife, Franke, get her younger sister, Teresa, out of a nursing home and brought her to live with them. Together, they helped Teresa ask for an apology for the wrongful institutionalization. After two years of campaigning, the Ontario Minister of Health publicly apologized to Teresa. Billiam combines storytelling, visual art, music and social activism to effect change. Over the past three decades, he has produced creative work addressing the following themes: disability rights, mental health, climate change and free speech. He lives in Vancouver, BC, with Franke James and sister-in-law Teresa Heartchild.
Teresa Heartchild is an artist, self-advocate and author who has Down syndrome. Teresa has shown remarkable resilience and courage. In 2013, a social worker said she was incapable of deciding where she would live. Teresa was put into a Toronto nursing home. Within days, her father, her sister Franke, and her brother-in-law, Bill, helped her get discharged. Teresa had a new capacity test done that determined she could decide where to live. Two years of campaigning later, BC Civil Liberties wrote to the Ontario government on Teresa’s behalf: “We are gravely concerned that the government, through its actions, appears to condone the forced placement and mistreatment of developmentally disabled adults.” The Ontario Minister of Health responded by publicly apologizing to Teresa. The BC Human Rights Commissioner named Teresa a “Champion for Change.” In 2023, Teresa is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of her rescue and lives with her sister, Franke, in Vancouver, BC.
