Advocates: Need for disability resources is ‘critical’

As parents and family caregivers continue to age, advocates say budget cuts, locally and across the state, have lead to a lack of housing and support services for intellectual and developmentally disabled adults, calling it a crisis.

On Wednesday, family advocacy groups asked over a dozen area politicians, during a panel discussion held at the Pieters Family Life Center in Henrietta, what they plan to do about it.

State Senators Patrick Gallivan, Joe Robach, Ted O’Brien; Assemblymen Harry Bronson, Joe Morelle, Mark Johns; political candidates Rich Funke, Peterson Vasquez, Gary Pudup, and Mark Assini; and political spokespersons Patty Larke (representing Louise Slaughter), and Danielle Dills (representing Chris Collins) each weighed-in.

During the 90-minute session attended by over 150 people, each of them expressed support for the plight of intellectual and developmentally disabled people and their families.

However, answers to the larger questions — of when and how much increased financial, housing and occupational support will come from Albany and/or Washington D.C. — remain unanswered.

“Across the state, over 12,000 individuals have indicated their need and desire for residential placement. ... and 4,000 people are in critical need. However, New York State plans only 500 residential opportunities each year,” said Pat Muir, chairperson of Family Advocates United.

This comes when parents of people with IDD continue to age, and the rate of autism “is skyrocketing,” Muir said, adding that a lack of progress offsets goals of the state’s Transformational Agreement, which is to have services delivered in the least restrictive, appropriate setting.

The call for de-institutionalized care, and increased political support and funding levels to help people with IDD live, work and participate in community life, is decades-old, said event co-organizer Karen Walsh, of Family Advocates of Heritage Christian Services, adding “they have never stopped. The need has never gone away.”

The forum was sponsored by Heritage Christian Services and Family Advocates United.

GMCLENDN@Gannett.com