Sandi Shaffer, mother of Kate, an adult woman with intellectual disabilities and autism, led a group of disability advocates in a Friday, June 7th meeting with Pennsylvania Senate Republican Majority Leader, Senator Joe Pittman, to discuss the upcoming Pennsylvania State Budget.
Governor Josh Shapiro has recommended a rate increase for community Intellectual Disabilities/Autism (ID/A) programs. This proposed increase aims to help families and programs recruit, hire, and retain Direct Support Professionals, who are the backbone of the community disability service and support system.
During the meeting, Sandi Shaffer shared heartfelt insights about the challenges of supporting an adult child with disabilities, emphasizing the impact of limited services due to state underfunding of disability programs.
Senator Pittman demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the ID/A community and other human service sectors. He acknowledged the effectiveness of the ID/A community in expressing its needs to the General Assembly and urged families to continue speaking and writing to legislators as the budget process continues.
The meeting included participation from key leaders in the disability services sector:
- Nathan Donsen, CFO, Evergreen Homes
- Scott Burright, Day Program Director, Evergreen Homes
- Nathaniel Haggerty, CEO, Community Living and Learning
- Tom Citeroni, CFO, Community Living and Learning
- Patrick DeMico, Executive Director, The Provider Alliance
- Gary Blumenthal, Vice President, InVision Human Services