Californians Protest for More Funding

LOS ANGELES -- In what they called a last desperate plea, more than 100 protesters gathered in front of state Sen. Kevin de Leon’s district office Tuesday to press him and other lawmakers to boost funding for programs for those with developmental disabilities.

Demonstrators, including those with special needs, were joined by supporters from the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and all over East Los Angeles. The protesters lined West Sunset Boulevard holding signs that said: “Fair Funding!” and “Save our Services!”

Critics Turn to Academics To Do Cost-Benefit Analysis of OPWDD Services

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  -- Faced with a $90 million cut to the state Office of People With Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island advocates for the disabled have been highly critical of the borough's Albany lawmakers for not doing enough to prevent what amounts to a 4.5 percent reduction in aid. 

Donna Long and Laura Kennedy
are among those critical to the cuts.

But now Assemblyman Michael Cusick and one of the sharpest critics of the cuts to OPWDD, parent and activist Laura Kennedy -- who branded the reductions "cruel and shameful" -- told the Advance Thursday they've come up with a "plan of action" going forward.

New Yorkers Continue Lobbying for Funds

ALBANY -- One of the areas of disagreement in the state budget centers on funding for services for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities.

Governor Cuomo in his budget plan cuts $120 million in funding for groups that provide services to people with developmental disabilities. The cuts come after Congress determined that New York had been overbilling the federal government for Medicaid services for state-run developmental disability service centers. Providers of group homes, day programs, and vocational services say it's unfair to make up for the federal cuts at their expense. Some of the groups brought clients and their families to the Capitol for a silent vigil to protest the cuts.

Opinion: Measuring Success of Services

Post from Jonathan Walters, Executive Editor of Governing.com

Jonathan Walters

The importance of performance measurement in tough fiscal times can't be overstated, but I also don't think there's any more important policy area to which it applies than human services.

Recently, I spoke at a conference for the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) on the fiscal outlook for 2013. Joining me was Bill Pound, executive director of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Both of us predicted that Congress would ultimately cobble together some unsatisfying, short-term gimmick for avoiding the so-called "fiscal cliff," and we both suggested that whether we went off the cliff or not, folks in human services -- including those focused on developmental disabilities -- were going to continue experiencing the big fiscal squeeze. I went on to suggest that anyone not focusing more tightly on results-informed budgeting and policy would wind up in even worse shape.

Campaigns to Address Disability Issues

From Huffington Post, an item by Liane Kupferberg Carter, a columnist for Autism After 16.

Remember that saying from the 1970s, that the personal is political?
As the parent of an autistic 20-year-old son, I know what my own family is struggling with. The need for employment. Housing. Health care. Insurance. Long-term community-based services and supports. Education. Transportation. Research. Improving the quality of life for autistic children and adults is my top priority.

Nearly 2,000 Rally for Support in Georgia

ATLANTA -- Cars had to detour around the Capitol on Thursday as about 2,000 people crowded in the street to demand better services and support for people with disabilities and their families.
The point is "to get them out of institutions and get them into communities," said Jerry Sapp, president of the Bleckley County chapter of The Arc, an advocacy group, and single father of a son who has cerebral palsy.
Many in the crowd carried signs reading "Unlock The Doors To Real Communities," the theme of the rally, hosted by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Learning Autism's Tough Lessons

Seven years ago, I wrote a piece about life with my son, who had recently been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, and the challenges we faced. Little did I know that in the course of researching that article — and upon learning about the huge (epidemic) number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders — my life's path was about to be forever altered.

Battling New Jersey's Autism Epidemic

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Jersey has the highest autism rate in the nation. With one in 94 children (one in 60 boys) born in the state being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), parents have much more to worry about in the way of their children's security, health and happiness.
According to Autism New Jersey in Ewing Township, isolation stemming from the disorder itself is a fact of life for many who have ASD, but isolation in the form of a lack of available services for them and their families and friends desperately trying to help is unnecessary.