Intellectually disabled need more support
“The Waiting List: America’s Health Care Crisis” (“Geraldo at Large,” Dec. 27) addressed issues affecting Americans with disabilities. Across the nation and in our own community, families face a significant lack of support services to meet the needs of their sons and daughters with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Waiting lists are forcing family members to quit their jobs, give up their homes and make other sacrifices to care for their children. Some individuals in the United States wait up to 12 years to receive services.
Nationwide, more than 800,000 individuals live with a family caregiver over 60. These parents are told the only way a service would become available to their child is if they were to die. Even then, their adult children could face the prospect of being placed in an institution due to the lack of services available.
The Arc of High Point is working to ensure that individuals with intellectual disabilities receive the services and support they need. Priority one is to convince our legislators of the need for a system overhaul, for the sake of these families. We encourage our community to join us in this important venture.
Tonya Fowler
High Point
The writer is executive director, The Arc of High Point.
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