Dear Candidate:
The Arc of Washington State is a non-profit organization that has advocated on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families since 1936. Washington State defines a developmental disability as:
“a disability attributable to Intellectual Disability, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Autism, or another neurological or other condition closely related to intellectual disability or that requires treatment similar to that required for individuals with intellectual disabilities, which originated before the individual attained age eighteen, continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely, and results in substantial limitations to an individual’s intellectual and/or adaptive functioning.” (RCW 71A.10.020(3))
The Arc’s vision is for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to be valued members of their communities with the opportunity to realize their full potential and a future that is secure.
The Arc does not endorse any candidates, but is committed to educating individuals, families and other community members about the issues that affect their lives to help enable them to make informed decisions.
In 2021-
- 120,000 people estimated in Washington State with I/DD
- 48,994 clients enrolled with the Developmental Disabilities Administration
- 36,103 of those clients received at least one paid service from DDA
- 12,891 of those clients qualified for, but received No Paid Services from DDA
Why must qualified clients wait for services?
DDA, unlike all other state agencies is not caseload forecasted. Learn more about what this means here.
The primary demand for services focuses on:
- Personal care to get out of bed, toilet and eat; respite to prevent out-of-home placements;
- Employment support to help individuals find and keep jobs and contribute to our economy;
- Community residential services for individuals who need supervision and supports; and
- Other Medicaid-funded services such as health care, therapies, dental, vision, etc.
80% of individuals with I/DD live in communities with their families, many with very significant disabilities. Residential Habilitation Centers (RHC) are now an outdated, costly way to support individuals with I/DD and many residents want to move out. Our state still operates 4 of its 6 original institutions, though the number of residents has declined from over 4,000 to about 500. Part of Rainier School has been de-certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and cannot receive federal funds now, it operates entirely on state funds. For more information: www.arcwa.org/advocacy/public-policy/rhc-or-community and www.disabilityrightswa.org/reports
Your perspective:
In order to understand your vision for people with developmental disabilities in our state, we invite you to fill out the short questionnaire below as a way to give constituents some insight into your position on, and possible solutions for, some of their most important issues. We will share your responses on our website (www.arcwa.org/advocacy/2022-elections) with our statewide network of advocates who will be interested in your views as they consider who would best represent them in this year’s elections.
Accessibility:
Because not everyone easily learns from text, we invite you to video your responses!
Include your video link on the questionnaire. You can also include your photo on the page.
Questions? Contact Diana Stadden at (253) 576-6351 or Diana@arcwa.org
#WeAreEssential #CutsCauseCrisis
