Our mission is to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential based on personal choices, abilities and interests...
For more information contact:
Mellissa Lang
Director of Marketing and Public Affairs
phone: 914.949.9300,
ext. 4618
fax: 914.997.2985
or 914.428.0322
mlang@westchesterarc.org
Westchester Arc
The Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center
265 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.949.9300
info@westchesterarc.org
24-hour
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914.949.8200
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Press Release
Federal Budget Proposals Threaten Progress
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month Is Time to
Assess Budget Assault
WHITE PLAINS, New York, March 17, 2005 — I am your classmate, co-worker and neighbor. I vote, pay taxes and write poetry. I am an individual with developmental disabilities, and March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
“Everyone has challenges,” explains Liz Albert, who has cerebral palsy and is the author of Magic in the New Millennium. “Mine just happen to be developmental. I want people to see me for who I am and what I am personally capable of. Now is the time for all caring people to come to the aid of each other.”
For the past 27 years, March has been designated, at the national level, as a time for communities to focus on the accomplishments of people with disabilities and the issues that continue to bar their full engagement with community life. This year there is no more critical theme than the assault on social services reflected in the proposed federal budget. It affects not only funding streams from the federal government but state-level matching. It threatens to eviscerate decades of hard-won progress and will define the financial landscape--and everyday reality--for millions of people with disabilities for years to come.
Westchester ARC is the largest organization in the county serving people of all ages who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Please take March, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, as an opportunity to explore this critical social issue with your readers. Westchester ARC can provide interview opportunities with articulate families who can dramatically describe the very personal effects that federal spreadsheets could have on the lives of people in our county.
Here are examples of what has been accomplished and what federal proposals could mean.
PRE-SCHOOL
As with so much in life, early identification and intervention are crucial to decreasing, and in some cases, effacing, the effects of developmental disabilities. During 2004, Westchester ARC’s Children’s School for early Development provided early intervention services to 150 Westchester County families--evaluations, speech therapy, toddler developmental groups, Mommy and Me classes, and parent support groups. Our pre-school graduated 54 children last spring, 66 percent of whom were placed in typical kindergartens, requiring few, if any, special supports.
What’s threatened….
Proposed 2006 funding for IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act) would freeze the budget for early intervention and pre-school at current levels. Young parents are attracted to Westchester ARC’s pre-school in increasing numbers. The dramatically increased incidence of autism, in particular, poses resource-intensive challenges. Appropriate services during these children's critical period of development can make all the difference to their lifelong potential.
CAREERS
High school is a shaping time in any kid’s life, and so it is for teenagers with developmental disabilities. Westchester ARC’s S.T.A.R. program (Students in Transition Accessing Resources) collaborates with school systems to develop customized career plans for students as young as 15. Job-related training, summer internships and post-graduation employment merge to prepare young adults for enriching, independent lives. Last year’s graduates now work in retail, food service and office environments.
In addition, Westchester ARC provides career training for 168 adults. We work with local employers to identify jobs that could be more productively performed by people with developmental disabilities, freeing existing staff for other tasks. During 2005, the agency assisted 58 individuals in finding permanent employment.
What’s threatened….
The administration proposes to discontinue supportive employment state grants and to place funding caps on vocational rehabilitation. VESID (Vocational and Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities, part of New York State’s Department of Education), which directs federal dollars to job training, could also face caps. If these measures are passed, Westchester ARC’s ability to train and place people with disabilities in community-based jobs could be severely affected.
RESIDENTIAL
In 1998, Governor Pataki introduced the NYS-CARES initiative, a multi-year plan to address the needs of people with disabilities who were on the priority waiting list for residential services. Since then, Westchester ARC has established 11 small residences throughout the county, ranging from two-person apartments to seven-person homes. We support a total of 40 such residences. In these spaces, people with disabilities are assisted in their efforts to lead well-rounded lives in the heart of the greater community.
What’s threatened….
Over 200 people with disabilities remain on the Westchester County waiting list. These are individuals whose families cannot continue to care for them or who have no families and are in immediate need of housing and support. Cuts in housing funds would severely limit Westchester ARC’s ability to open new residences. Without necessary financial aid, those who cannot rely upon family support may be relegated to nursing homes or even homeless shelters.
GUARDIANSHIP
When relatives are unable to care for people with developmental disabilities, Westchester ARC, in association with NYSARC, its statewide partner, can become legal guardian. We currently act as family for 45 individuals, planning medical care and birthday parties, music lessons and career choices. We are standby guardian for another 100 individuals.
What’s threatened….
Despite the growing need for guardianship services as baby boomers with disabilities reach especially vulnerable ages, there is no public funding that directly supports this program. On the other hand, attacks on a variety of entitlement programs could substantially affect this population’s quality of life.
Over a third of those receiving Social Security benefits are non-retirees, including 5.4 million people with disabilities. The president’s proposal to privatize a portion of Social Security puts funding for those beneficiaries at serious risk. Medicaid cuts threaten coverage for "optional" services such as prescription drugs, dental and vision care, as well as case management.
Established over 50 years ago, Westchester ARC is a family-focused agency offering opportunities to individuals having disabilities such as autistic spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. The agency has long advocated educational and social inclusion for people with disabilities because of its wide-ranging benefits to the entire community. The agency is funded through both public and private means.
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