Fw: Arc and Disabled Would Be Hit Hard by Proposed Cuts

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Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

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Arc and Disabled Would Be Hit Hard by Proposed Cuts

The Arc of Illinois

May 17, 2011

Leaders in The Arc:

The Pantagraph did a great editorial with their Sunday Editorial on budget cuts

to disability services! See it below.

I now need you to send a comment on this editorial supporting the need for

community services. Please stay on message and express your outrage over the

cuts to disability services. This will send a message to the Pantagraph

Editorial Board that their message was the right one! Here is a link to respond

to the Pantagraph:

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_521adbd4-7db0-11e0-94fe\

-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=comments

Today, I head back down to the Capitol for a press conference on the budget cuts

tomorrow!

Tentative, Tuesday, May 24th, 11:00 a.m., LIFE is holding a Press Conference at

the Center Outside Plaza, 100 West Randolph, Chicago. Plan to come and

bring your friends! We need a crowd to express our outrage over the cuts to

disability services!

If you have not already done so, please Friend us on Facebook today! Here is a

link to make it easy!

LIFE-Fund-Critical-Services-for-People-with-Disabilities

LIFE Campaign materials will be posted on The Arcs website: www.TheArcofIL.org

LIFE Video Fund Critical Services for People with Disabilities

We have had many generous donations for the LIFE Campaign. Thank you!

Donations can be made by clicking onto the donation button below.

Tony auski

The Arc of Illinois

815-464-1832

Pantagraph

Disabled would be hit hard by proposed cuts

By The Pantagraph Editorial Board | Posted: Sunday, May 15, 2011 7:00 am

Agencies that provide services for people with developmental disabilities have

as good an argument as any and better than some for pushing back against

proposed state budget cuts.

They have been dealing with spending reductions and delayed payments for years.

We have seen the impact of these budget decisions with the closing in 2009 of

the Occupational Developmental Center in Bloomington-Normal that provided

much-needed training and jobs for people with disabilities.

But many others are in that same situation in the state.

What makes this group different, noted Tony auski, is it is offering a

solution.

auski, executive director of The Arc of Illinois, said his organization,

which represents 60 agencies throughout Illinois that care for people with

intellectual and development disabilities, is calling on the state to close four

of the eight state-run institutions that serve the developmentally disabled.

The idea is to switch money from the closed state institutions to

community-based facilities, which are less expensive to operate and which

advocates have long said provide better, more personalized care than large

institutions.

Most of the residents from the closed institutions would go to community

facilities, although some could go to remaining state institutions, if that was

deemed more appropriate.

In addition to the Fox Developmental Center in Dwight, the state operates

developmental centers in , Centralia, Dixon, ville, Kankakee, Park

Forest and Waukegan.

We dont doubt that there are many dedicated, caring people working in those

state facilities. However, the trend in recent years has been moving toward

community-based settings and Illinois lags far behind other states that have

scaled back or eliminated state-run institutions for those with developmental

disabilities.

It is important that any closing of facilities be done with adequate planning

and consultation with the families involved, unlike what happened when the

Lincoln Developmental Center was closed in 2002.

auski said the average annual costs to care for a person in one of the state

institutions is $192,000 compared to $50,000 in a community-based facility.

However, moving to close any state institutions would run into the ill-advised

agreement Gov. Pat Quinn made last fall with the states largest public employees

union not to lay off state employees or close any state facilities.

The question becomes whether that agreement is binding on the General Assembly.

This isnt something that is likely to be settled quickly. That means it might

not provide the reallocation of money that auski is seeking in this budget.

But it is still a matter worthy of consideration for financial as well as

humanitarian reasons.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_521adbd4-7db0-11e0-94fe\

-001cc4c002e0.html?print=1

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