Intellectually disabled Utah woman yearns for freedom from her institutionalized lifestyle

Staci Christensen wants the autonomy to go to the movies.She wants to work more hours at Golden Corral, and she wants to go to college.She wants to know what it’s like to be in a romantic relationship.“Dating is not allowed where I’m living,” Christensen said. “They encourage just being friends.”
Christensen, 29, has Down syndrome. She lives at Medallion Supported Living in Payson. It’s an intermediate-care facility, one of the state’s 18 that hous