2008 Woodie Awards
Loyola Students work to "End the Wait"
Andrew Zaleski
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: News
At first glance, life seems pretty normal for Kenny. He works and goes about his daily activities as any person would. However, for Kenny, who requires a wheelchair and a laptop to communicate, his developmental disabilities make it difficult for him to perform the simplest of behaviors, like getting into bed, brushing his teeth, and taking a shower.
Living with his mother, who is in her 80s, Kenny often quips that he is the only 42-year-old with an 8:30 p.m. bedtime.
According to Beth Munro, director of the End the Wait Now Campaign, Kenny is just one of thousands of Maryland residents who are developmentally disabled and living without funding to obtain the services they need to successfully function from day to day. The End the Wait Now Campaign is a subset of a larger movement called The Waiting List Campaign, a running list of approximately 17,000 developmentally disabled individuals-or families who have a member suffering from some developmental disorder-requesting financial assistance from Maryland government for more than 29,000 community services including family support, employment programs, transition services, and community day and residential supports.
Thirty-nine percent of the services being requested fall into what The Waiting List Campaign and Maryland's Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) have deemed the "crisis" category. Essentially, this means that people considered in that 39 percent could face serious, life-threatening consequences if the services they need are not administered soon. Directors of The Waiting List Campaign note that "it is not infrequent that a person who started on The Waiting List ten years ago escalates to a crisis/emergency after years of no services."
"The big problem is that the state of Maryland has let this go for so long that now the physical impact is just tremendous," says Munro.
The trouble comes as a result of the state government cutting or not allotting funding to aid The Waiting List. Since 1999, the money allocated for The Waiting List has shrunk from $34.2 million to $19.7 million in 2007. And, although Maryland's budget for fiscal year 2009 boasts a formidable $720.2 million for the DDA, none of that money is specifically allocated to individuals and families on The Waiting List, which is projecting a need of about $19 million in 2008.
Living with his mother, who is in her 80s, Kenny often quips that he is the only 42-year-old with an 8:30 p.m. bedtime.
According to Beth Munro, director of the End the Wait Now Campaign, Kenny is just one of thousands of Maryland residents who are developmentally disabled and living without funding to obtain the services they need to successfully function from day to day. The End the Wait Now Campaign is a subset of a larger movement called The Waiting List Campaign, a running list of approximately 17,000 developmentally disabled individuals-or families who have a member suffering from some developmental disorder-requesting financial assistance from Maryland government for more than 29,000 community services including family support, employment programs, transition services, and community day and residential supports.
Thirty-nine percent of the services being requested fall into what The Waiting List Campaign and Maryland's Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) have deemed the "crisis" category. Essentially, this means that people considered in that 39 percent could face serious, life-threatening consequences if the services they need are not administered soon. Directors of The Waiting List Campaign note that "it is not infrequent that a person who started on The Waiting List ten years ago escalates to a crisis/emergency after years of no services."
"The big problem is that the state of Maryland has let this go for so long that now the physical impact is just tremendous," says Munro.
The trouble comes as a result of the state government cutting or not allotting funding to aid The Waiting List. Since 1999, the money allocated for The Waiting List has shrunk from $34.2 million to $19.7 million in 2007. And, although Maryland's budget for fiscal year 2009 boasts a formidable $720.2 million for the DDA, none of that money is specifically allocated to individuals and families on The Waiting List, which is projecting a need of about $19 million in 2008.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Natalia
Natalia
posted 4/15/08 @ 8:22 PM EST
Excellent article! The difficulties people with developmental disabilities face is not something you read about too often. Obtaining proper financial assistance and accomodations seems to always be a roller coaster ride for people with disabilites. (Continued…)
Jane Chambers
posted 4/17/08 @ 11:44 PM EST
As the parent of a teen with developmental disabilities, I thank all of the Loyola students and staff who are taking an interest in the End the Wait Now! Campaign. (Continued…)
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