Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to the voices of those in the communities of our state.
My name is Diana Stadden and I am the Parent Coordinator for the Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (PC2) as well as the Vice President for the Autism Society of WA. I represent family members and individuals with various developmental disabilities. I am also deeply involved in stakeholder workgroups and the Autism Task Force where I continually try to help people who otherwise would be overlooked to have their voice heard. I hope you will give careful consideration to the Autism Task Force recommendations you will receive in December, as we have received a lot of input from individuals, families and professionals and the task force is working hard to provide you with clear concise information and recommendations.
Our state has made a good start ensuring that those with disabilities can live, work and play in their own communities. For the most part, institutionalization is not encouraged for families anymore.
Unfortunately, we don’t really have the needed supports in the community that it takes for these individuals, and some do end up being institutionalized.
One of the priorities I believe our state government should have is knowing how many people in this state with developmental disabilities need assistance so that action can be taken to help them. Currently we have over 10,000 people on waiting lists for state services, yet these numbers are not considered reliable and so are not included in our state’s caseload forecasting. This needs to change.
Family Supports can provide a minimal amount of assistance to families to help them avoid having to place their child out of home, yet sadly, this program is greatly under funded. For those needing more assistance to keep their child at home, we have waivers, yet those also are under funded. As we work on combining the three various Family Support programs, the hope is that the state will see how vital this program is in keeping families together and provide the funding needed for families throughout this state.
Children with disabilities spend their first 21 years or so in the education system. Lately those in special education have taken the scorn of the community as it has been singled out as the money drain to
the education system. This simply is not true. Our children are regular education students first, special ed funds and safety net funds help with the extra. Regular education is very under funded, which is the
root of the problem. The Learning Assistance Program (LAP) is also very under funded. If more money were provided for LAP, many children would not need to continue in special education. We’ve taken a great first step for young children by providing birth to 3 services throughout our state, school districts would benefit even more if the birth to 3 funding category was expanded to include 3 and 4 year old preschoolers and not have them in the 12.7% index used for special education funding. The JLARC report on Special Education Excess Costs also needs to be carefully considered as we look for ways for school districts to be accountable for their funds and assist them in having the financial resources to provide an appropriate education for all children. We want school districts and families to partner together, not pit them against each other because of financial constraints.
Again, I appreciate your time. Feel free to contact me for further information or clarification.
Diana J. Stadden
Parent Coordinator
Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (PC2)
633 North Mildred, Suite C – Tacoma, WA 98406
Phone: (253) 564-0707
Fax: (253) 564-0702
Email: pc2diana@harbornet.com
PC2 Website
“Man does not weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” – Chief Seattle – 1854