Services for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental ...

Press Release Source: The Arc On Tuesday June 14, 2011, 9:30 am EDT

ANNAPOLIS, Md.?(BUSINESS WIRE)? The results of a new survey released today indicate that one-third of parents and caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) nationwide ? an estimated one million families ? are on waiting lists for government funded services, with the average wait more than five years.

The Families and Individual Needs for Disability Support (FINDS) survey, conducted by The Arc ? the nation?s largest and oldest human rights organization for the I/DD community ? also found that the promise of integrated, community-based employment is not being met. Eighty-five percent of families reported that their adult family members with I/DD are not employed at all.

?Fifty years ago, President Kennedy called on the nation to bring people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities ?out of the shadows,? to give them opportunities to lead productive, quality lives,? says Stephen H. Morgan, Acting Director of The Arc Maryland. ?Sadly, the data released today shows that these efforts have plateaued.?

While acknowledging that budget cuts and economic strain have hurt all Americans, the survey indicates that 7 million individuals living with I/DD and their families are among the hardest hit, with access to needed services drastically reduced. according to the survey, 62 percent of caregivers report a decrease in services for their family member with a disability.

The findings are even more troubling, according to Morgan, when you consider that current Congressional budget proposals threaten to dismantle Medicaid and Medicare, making it even harder for people with I/DD and their families to achieve.

Among other major findings, the FINDS survey revealed:

• More than 75 percent of families report problems accessing non-institutional community care, trained reliable homecare providers, services and resources;
• 1 out of 5 families (20 percent) report that someone in the family had to quit a job to stay at home and support the needs of a family member;
• More than 80 percent of families do not have enough retirement savings because they have used personal funds to compensate for the lack of available services;
• 62 percent of parents and caregivers do not have a plan for where the person they support will live when the parent/caregiver gets older.

Morgan also comments, ?While our local Arc organizations in Maryland provide critical services and find jobs for thousands of people with disabilities, we still have thousands waiting for services. The recent alcohol tax victory will help about 500 families, but there are more than 5,000 still waiting.?

The Arc Prince George?s County works with many families waiting for services like Lisa Brady of Greenbelt, whose 12-year-old daughter, Jessica, has autism. Lisa?s family has been on the DDA Waiting List for?8 years. Lisa wants to be involved in parent trainings, and she wants Jessica to have access to various types of therapies, so she has been pulling money from her retirement account to pay for Jessica?s therapy. she is worried about the future financial stability of her family and says, ?I don?t think about the things I want. I always think about what Jess needs, but I don?t know what is going to happen when I retire.?

Spurred by the survey, The Arc is launching a new effort to organize a million people to ?come out of the shadows? and make their needs an issue in the 2012 elections.

to raise awareness, The Arc has partnered with Lauren Potter, star of the hit FOX show ?Glee? who has Down syndrome. The Arc and Potter will kick off a public service announcement television campaign.

The Arc is also conducting a national contest via its Facebook fan page. from today until July 14, entrants can share stories and photos highlighting the accomplishments of individuals with I/DD for the chance to receive a trip for two to Washington, D.C. For more information, visit facebook.com/thearcus.

For more information or to see the survey results, visit thearc.org.

Tags: productive quality, Acting Director of The Arc Maryland, Lisa Brady, Social Issues, quality lives, Stephen H. Morgan
This entry was posted on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at 9:55 am and is filed under Developmental Disabilities. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://kdlepenica.com/developmental-disabilities/services-for-persons-with-intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities-fall-short-in-maryland-and-across-the-nation/

emphysema phillip garrido sexting the economist dirk nowitzki yosemite leslie nielsen