Saturday, April 16, 2011

Adapting to fewer resources for special needs children and adults

The future is looking kind of gloomy for most Americans ...

Care of special needs adults in post-employment America

... the Great Recession grinds on. The percent of employed adult Americans (employment-population ratio) is now back to where it was in 1976, when most women weren't in the workforce. The annual incomes of the bottom 90% of US families has been flat since 1973...

Some Americans are astoundingly wealthy, but most of us are not. The direct and indirect costs of care of a disabled child, or adult, means special needs families were stressed even when American social supports were relatively robust. Now things are getting harder ...

... Many young adults with autism have transitioned into large residential systems, whether group homes or institutions, offering round-the-clock services. But waiting lists can be long. And increasingly, in an effort to stem costs, states are moving away from the group home model into family-based care, a trend that started about 10 years ago.

... Nationwide, 59 percent of people who receive autism services are living with their families, according to Mr. Lakin...

... Don Meyer, the founder and director of the Sibling Support Project and the creator of Sibshops, a network of programs for young siblings of children with special needs, said: “Parents need to share their plans for their special-needs child with their typically developing kids. After Mom and Dad are no longer there, it is likely it will be the brothers and sisters who will ensure their sibling leads a dignified life, living and working in the community.”...

We are now seeing long group waiting lists in Minnesota, yet we aren't yet seeing the direct cash transfers to families that are reported in Connecticut, Arizona, Vermont and New Hamphsire. In place of group homes we now have "housing access services" -- suited for persons who can live independently.

We're going to have to figure out how to adapt to this. I have ideas, but I need more people ...

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