At the 2008 Republican National Convention Governor Sarah Palin, the mother of a child with Down syndrome, spoke directly to families with special needs children. "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message," she began. "For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House." Palin again addressed the issue during the Vice Presidential debate, saying that working with families of children with special needs would be one of her duties as Vice President.
Like many people with a developmentally disabled family member I welcome the introduction of the needs of the developmentally disabled into national policy debates. Special needs children, including my autistic older brother, grow up to be adults with special needs who depend on government programs for support. When funding for those programs is insufficient or eliminated, too often services are not delivered as a result and families like mine struggle to fill the gap. In light of the recent economic crisis, both presidential campaigns have been asked what initiatives or programs they would have to set aside due to lack of funding. Both have avoided giving specific answers, although McCain suggested he would freeze funding for all programs except military spending, support for veterans and entitlements. But those of us with developmentally disabled loved ones know all too well the specific impact funding cuts have on services. Many programs serving Americans with special needs were under-funded before the recent economic crisis and are now once again at risk of more cuts or even elimination.
Although Palin has taken ownership of the disability issue, Senator McCain has the Republican ticket's record of action on the issue. McCain was an original co-sponsor of the landmark anti-discrimination law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and he has supported legislation to improve voting accessibility to people with disabilities. McCain and Obama both supported the ADA Amendment Act, which clarifies the protections of the ADA. The Obama and McCain campaigns have done outreach to the disability community and both campaigns have staffers working to win the disability vote. The campaigns have also pledged to appoint a White House staffer to focus on disability issues should they win the presidency. But the McCain-Palin ticket has yet to offer a specific agenda to address the needs of Americans with disabilities. In contrast, the Obama-Biden ticket has presented Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities.
When I became my 38 year-old autistic brother's co-guardian I was immediately launched into the world of funding battles in our home state of Missouri. My brother is profoundly autistic, dependent on government programs to fund everything from his residential program and supported employment to healthcare and food. But changes in federal policies between 2002 and 2005 have resulted in a severe financial crisis in Missouri that has in turn trickled down to impact my brother's life in the form of funding cuts. Tax cuts that have reduced state revenue due to the link between federal and state tax systems, the federal ban on state taxation of purchases made over the Internet and unfunded mandates like No Child Left Behind have combined to cost Missouri an estimated $1 billion a year. Missouri's response to the budget challenges of 2002-2005 was to cut deep. Social services took the largest cut in the state budget (40% of the total core budget cut).
Over this time period, we saw an $11 million reduction in funding for services for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities like respite care, day rehabilitation, and therapy. As of July 2004, the state had a waiting list of more than 4,000 individuals for residential services and non-residential services. Those burdens have shifted to families and many disabled children and adults have been forced to go without specialized care.
On the federal front, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law passed in 1975 that mandates equal educational opportunity for children with disabilities, has been under-funded since passage. When the law was enacted, the federal government promised it would fund 40 percent of the additional costs that the law requires states to incur. Federal funding over fiscal years 2002-2005 in Missouri fell nearly $858 million short of meeting this goal.
McCain's education plan fails to mention specific funding for special education and the McCain campaign has not proposed any increase in overall federal education funding - and that includes funding for IDEA. In comparison, Senator Obama's disability platform plan calls for IDEA to be fully funded.
The Community Choice Act presents another point of distinction between the campaigns. Proposed by Senator Tom Harkin and co-sponsored by Senator Obama, the bill would make government funds for institutional care available for home-based services so that more disabled people could remain in their homes. Missouri's "family stipend" program, which helped some 800 families care for their disabled children at home rather than institutionalizing them, was completely eliminated in fiscal year 2004. McCain opposes the bill because of concerns about cost.
While the debate over how to address the economic crisis rages on and the presidential campaign closes in on Election Day, families with disabled members are looking for more than a campaign promise without policy and a funding pledge to back it up. Many of us know the impact of spending cuts and insufficient funding all too well. The economic crisis will further hinder the ability of states to fund services, making full funding for IDEA and passage of the Community Choice ACT necessary priorities for the next president.
