Published on Tuesday, August 26, 2008
By GREGOR McGAVIN
Sam Murray lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment off Magnolia Avenue in Riverside.
He catches a city bus to and from work each weekday, cooks and cleans for himself, keeps up with the bills, does the laundry and the dishes and other household chores.
Not exactly major accomplishments for the average 34-year-old, but for Murray, who is mentally handicapped and speech impaired, moving out on his own has been a major accomplishment.
About 500 developmentally disabled adults have landed jobs through Ability Counts, a nonprofit group that finds work and social services for mentally retarded, autistic and other handicapped people.
But only 50 live independently, and Murray is one of the few.
Another 30 percent live with parents or other relatives; the rest stay in residential group homes.
"Being my own man," Murray responded when asked the best part of living alone.
