New York State is at a crossroads when it comes to caring for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD). Government officials have a choice to continue divesting from the system leading to irreparable harm for our most vulnerable citizens or they can right the ship by maintaining the investment in the organizations providing support to the majority of individuals in the state with I/DD.
As a parent who knows firsthand the challenges of a loved one with an intellectual disability, and as a newly elected State Senator and the new Chairman of the New York Senate Committee on Disabilities, I understand the role government must play in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Care Coordinated Organizations, which advocate for the needs, desires and rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, are facing a nearly 40 percent cut in the state’s executive budget.
Although the overall budget for the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities is expected to increase nearly 3 percent, those who provide direct services to people with disabilities say the cuts are falling on them.
Family members and service providers supporting some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers say a state agency is secretly slashing funds for New Yorkers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.