Some forgotten lives may not be forgotten after all.

Haseeb Chishty, a Denton State School resident who was severely beaten by an employee at the facility in 2002, was released into the guardianship of his family Saturday afternoon.

DRC/Candace Carlisle

Farhat Chishty and her son Haseeb attend a rally led by Community Now outside Denton State School on Sunday afternoon. Haseeb was released Saturday to the care of his mother, who has spent six years lobbying for the release of her son after he was beaten by an employee at the state school in 2002.

View larger More photos Photo store

The next day, Haseeb showed up for a scheduled rally just outside the state school with his mother, Farhat Chishty, and about 60 supporters.

Now that Farhat has gotten her son back, she is not letting up.

She spoke at the rally Sunday with other advocacy groups calling for the release of those in Texas state hospitals who want out but cannot leave.

The organization responsible for the rally, Community Now, is an advocacy group promoting choices for those in state facilities that include integration of the disabled into the community.

Jeff Garrison-Tate, president of Community Now, said Texas’ 13-facility state school system was ripe for abuses.

“About 60 percent of those living in there don’t have guardians,” Garrison-Tate said. “They have a right to live in the community.”

The hourlong Community Now rally attracted about 50 to 60 residents from all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as some from Austin and San Antonio. During the rally, about 30 people signed a petition stating that residents of state facilities should be able to choose community care.

The advocacy group chartered a bus from Dallas to bring in other groups collaborating for reform in state schools, including the Dallas Down Syndrome Guild and The Arc of Dallas.

DRC/Candace Carlisle

A group of about 60 protesters gather for a rally outside the Denton State School grounds on Sunday afternoon.

View larger More photos Photo store

Officials with the U.S. De­part­ment of Justice an­nounced in March they would investigate allegations of civil rights violations inside the Denton State School made by Farhat Chishty and others.

Last month, the department expanded its inquiries to include all 13 state schools for people with disabilities.

“I can’t believe we are living in a clean society that is so dirty on the inside,” Farhat Chishty said. “I cannot believe we are human beings with how they are treating these people.”

Living outside of a state school really makes a difference, said Bill Stanley, a resident of East Dallas who made the drive to Denton and signed the petition on behalf of his friend’s 21-year-old handicapped son.

“Now that he’s in a group home, he’s highly motivated,” Stanley said. “He’s thriving in the environment, and once he was functioning at a 9-level and now he’s at a 5-level. He cares a lot for himself.”

The lower a person’s functioning level is, Stanley said, the less care that person needs from a provider and the more care he can provide for himself. He said he could see improvement in how his friend’s son lives.

“It’s pretty easy to see there is one or two people responsible for their care versus a large institution where it’s easy to pass the buck,” Stanley said.

Other supporters came to support the Community Now cause because they feel there should be more options available other then state homes.

Dawn Loughlin, a protester at the rally, said those options need to include diverting funds given to state schools to more individualized care. Loughlin’s nephew is autistic, although he has never been in a state facility.

“I’m not opposed to state schools, but we need to provide more funding to help staff the schools and better care for the kids here,” Loughlin said.

Meanwhile, Farhat Chishty said she will continue to battle the state school system in Texas even though she described her six-year ordeal as a bloody battle.

“They are the voiceless, we should be the voice-full,” Chishty said.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com .