CHICAGO -- Three months ago, Gov. Pat Quinn
unveiled a budget that made the tough choice to shut down a handful of
government-run facilities around the state. He did it for good reason.
The
facilities, including prisons and centers for the developmentally
disabled, are unneeded and hugely expensive. The services they provide can be done much more efficiently, and their high cost puts a squeeze on funding available for other social services.
Now we're coming
down to the final decisions in Springfield on state spending for the
next fiscal year. The closing of the facilities are a bargaining chip.
Showing posts with label Gov. Pat Quinn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gov. Pat Quinn. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Editorial: Finally, Having a Say
Just a brilliant editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times today, regarding the expected ruling by a Federal judge in the settlement of a lawsuit. Hopefully other states will see the light.
Most states recognized a long time ago that people with developmental disabilities are just like the rest of us.
They want to work. They want to choose where they live and with whom. And they don’t want to be cut off from the rest of society.
States that have seen the light have moved away from warehousing people with disabilities in large, residential facilities in favor of placing them in smaller, community-based settings.
Illinois, though, continues to rely heavily on institutional care for the disabled and the mentally ill, spending less per capita on community-based services than just about any other state.
Most states recognized a long time ago that people with developmental disabilities are just like the rest of us.
They want to work. They want to choose where they live and with whom. And they don’t want to be cut off from the rest of society.
States that have seen the light have moved away from warehousing people with disabilities in large, residential facilities in favor of placing them in smaller, community-based settings.
Illinois, though, continues to rely heavily on institutional care for the disabled and the mentally ill, spending less per capita on community-based services than just about any other state.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Deeper Cuts, Deeper Pain
ELGIN, Ill. — For the next four years, Elizabeth and Chris Frederick know they will have services for Thomas, their 17-year-old developmentally disabled son.
However, after he turns 21, the South Elgin resident no longer will be eligible to get schooling, his parents said. It is during those school hours that they have at least some respite from caring for Thomas 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Cuts proposed in Gov. Pat Quinn’s 2012 budget could mean the respite care they now have — and other services for those with developmental delays — could be cut not only for them but for the 5,400 people served by the Association for Individual Development in Kane and Kendall counties.
However, after he turns 21, the South Elgin resident no longer will be eligible to get schooling, his parents said. It is during those school hours that they have at least some respite from caring for Thomas 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Cuts proposed in Gov. Pat Quinn’s 2012 budget could mean the respite care they now have — and other services for those with developmental delays — could be cut not only for them but for the 5,400 people served by the Association for Individual Development in Kane and Kendall counties.
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