Disability service organizations and advocates have renewed their push for a cost of living adjustment and wage enhancement for direct support professionals to be included in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget as high vacancy rates continue to squeeze the industry. Direct support professionals who work with New Yorkers with intellectual and developmental disabilities make an…Read More…

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Elected officials joined together with the Developmental Disability Alliance of Western New York (DDAWNY) on Thursday to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise the wage for direct support professionals, or DSPs. DSPs work directly with someone with a disability to make sure they have access to basic needs from getting out…Read More…

What happens when nonprofits that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can’t recruit and retain enough staff to provide daily care for the 140,000 vulnerable New Yorkers who can’t function without it? It’s not a theoretical question, say agency leaders like Randi Castro-Rios, CEO of Jawonio, which operates group homes and programs throughout the…Read More…

Groups that advocate for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide more money for needed services. They say more than a decade of neglect has pushed them to the breaking point. The effort, named “Invest in Me,” includes CP State, a not-for-profit organization with nearly 30 affiliates that provide…Read More…

Lawmakers in Albany failed the disability community this past session. They failed providers, caregivers, family members and, most importantly, individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Organizations throughout the state made clear to legislators and Gov. Kathy Hochul that without a significant increase in pay for direct-support professionals, the ongoing staffing crisis would reach dire…Read More…

Advocacy groups say a workforce shortage is causing group homes helping Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be understaffed. View video here.Read More…

CAPITAL REGION, NY (WRGB) — Chances are you may know someone who has a developmental or intellectual disability; for the last 70 years ARC New York has worked with that someone on everyday tasks. Currently the non-profit and other organizations serving this population are seeing critical staff shortages. “We have a number of vacancies and we have had…Read More…

As a New York State Assemblymember and Chair of the People with Disabilities Committee, my colleagues and I in Albany are vigorously fighting to address the severe crisis facing the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) community. As we approach the final days of budget negotiations, we are at a critical fork in the road in…Read More…

The day Sean was born was the best day of my life. I remember when I first saw him, I knew I would go to the ends of the Earth to ensure he had every opportunity to thrive. So, when we found out he had autism at two years of age, my priority was building…Read More…

NEW YORK – The bond between 27-year-old Dylan Snaith, who’s non-verbal autistic, and Courtney, his direct support professional (DSP), didn’t happen overnight. It took years of trust, dedication and love. But relationships like these are on the verge of disappearing.  Advocates say wages within the DSP field are disproportionately low, and while the minimum wage was increased nationally, New…Read More…