The DSP crisis, New Jersey’s I/DD ombudsman’s asks gubernatorial candidates to get serious about disabilities, caregiver confessions, and more news for the week ending Jan. 17, 2025.
Spotlight: Direct Support Professionals (DSPs)
The lack of a living wage for the DSP workforce is a disgrace. So I was so thrilled to see The Nation dig into the labor crisis with a piece that underscores how action is desperately needed.
The Labor Crisis Putting People With Disabilities at Risk (Thenation.com)
A few excerpts:
- “’Their work is highly complex and goes well beyond caregiving,’” said Joseph Macbeth, the president and CEO of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP).
- “The median hourly wage of a DSP is just $15.98 (and this is expected to decrease when funding from the American Rescue Plan Act expires in March 2025).”
- “In 2024, more than one-third of agencies nationwide said they would need to consider additional service cuts if high turnover and vacancy rates among DSPs continued.”
New York
Sheriffs launch Blue Envelope program statewide The New York State Sheriffs’ Association announced the statewide implementation of the Blue Envelope program. (Times Union)
NY Governor Approves Long-Sought Law Blocking Payments for ‘Broken’ Adoptions Additional legislation signed into law will identify the needs of kids in the system living with a developmental disability. (imprintnews.org)
NYC spent $1.3B on private education for students with disabilities last year The spending has continued to skyrocket despite efforts to serve more students with disabilities within the public school system. (Gothamist)
Dutchess County Launches Think Accessible Stakeholder Group to Enhance Community Accessibility (Dutchessny.gov)
20 things you don’t know about me: John Levendosky, special ed teacher (Times Union)
Nicholas Center in Port Washington helps people with autism who age out of school (Newsday.com)
CDPAP
Rep. Torres re-ups call for probe of $9B Medicaid home care contract of New York The “Hochul administration has handed a de facto sole-source contract … to PPL while at the same time receiving consultation about Medicaid reform from PCG, whose executives just happen to have a 25% ownership interest in PPL.” (spectrumlocalnews.com)
NYS pushes back against ad campaign criticizing change in home health aide program The state health commissioner counters what it calls “lies” in a campaign from lobbying group The Alliance to Protect Home Care over control of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. (Newsday.com)
Opinion: Hochul’s Threat to New York’s Home Health Care “As a quadriplegic New Yorker and caregiver team, we know that for many disabled or chronically ill people … any disruption to CDPAP would be inhumane.” (Daily News)
Outside of New York
Candidates for NJ governor, please make people with disabilities a priority | Opinion “As you know, disabilities affect people across every community, every socioeconomic group, every political party. Indeed, I would venture to guess that every New Jersey family includes someone — a close relative or friend — who has at least one disability. And I would venture to guess that many of them have not been able to obtain the support and services that they need and deserve.” (northjersey.com)
Autism awareness program launched by South Jersey police (Fox29.com)
Waterbury, Conn., police get training on interacting with people with autism and other disabilities (wtnh.com)
Caregiving
Caregiver Confessions: ‘How Much More Can We Take?’ Eleven people share their fears, resentments, and guilt. (New York Magazine)
Health
Q&A: Why physicians struggle to care for patients with disability (Statnews.com)
Whiplash
Top scholar says evidence for special ed inclusion is ‘fundamentally flawed” Last week, I posted a piece from NPR on how well students with disabilities do in integrated settings per numerous studies. A paper coming out this spring says not so fast. (Hechingerreport.org)
More on Education
Project 2025’s Plan to Dismantle Public Education—And Screw Over Disabled Kids (Motherjones.com)
L.A. Fires
Studies have shown that natural disasters disproportionately affect persons with disabilities. Here, some reports out of the Los Angeles-area fires.
Altadena family says disabled father and son were left to burn: ‘Nobody was coming (Los Angeles Times)
Fleeing the LA fires alone on a wheelchair: ‘I had to take my chances’ (theguardian.com)
In California wildfires, disabled people may be left behind (sf.curbed.com)
Autism
Autism Affects More Than 60 Million Worldwide, Study Finds As of 2021, researchers found that 1 in 127 people worldwide were on the spectrum, according to findings published recently in the journal The Lancet. (Disability Scoop)
Check out the Public Policy Goals of the Autism Society of America for the 119th Congress and the Administration (Autism Society)
SSI
SS Benefits to Change Under New Bill: Here’s Who’s Impacted A look at the bill introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Chris Van Hollen (D- Md.) that aims to remove the penalty on disability benefits for SSI recipients who choose to marry. (Newsweek)
Medicaid
Under Trump, Medicaid Faces a ‘Reset Moment’ Lawmakers in all states are wondering what sort of cuts may be coming. (Governing.com)
HCBS
Q&A: How this federal court ruling helps nursing home residents with disabilities A federal court ruled that the District of Columbia unlawfully segregated people with disabilities, stressing the importance of access to home and community-based services (HCBS). (statnews.com)
Think Differently
Biden Signs Think Differently Database Act into Law The online clearinghouse will provide localized, searchable information on Medicaid services, health care, mental health care and other critical supports for people with disabilities and their families. (Ancor.org)
