"THIRTY-TWO years after disability activist Annie McDonald won the right to leave an institution, her carer Dr Rosemary Crossley is embroiled in another legal battle over the rights of the profoundly disabled.
Once again, the case rests on the ability of someone with severe cerebral palsy to use non-verbal communication to express her wishes. This time, it's Annie McDonald's childhood friend Leonie McFarlane, a 48-year-old who also spent her childhood at St Nicholas Hospital in Carlton.
The Department of Human Services has banned Dr Crossley from taking Ms McFarlane to Adelaide tomorrow for a PowerPoint presentation at a disability conference. This is also a tribute to Ms McDonald, who died in October last year."
