Susan Yuan is an active TASH member and TASH New England chapter member. This action alert is regarding the Administration on Developmental Disabilities “Envisioning the Future” planning campaign. Make your voice heard. Tell the Administration that you don’t support funding of institutions.
As people committed to TASH values of inclusion and self-determination, we have a specific challenge to address in the next few days–BEFORE MARCH 4.
The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) is collecting information from people with disabilities, families and professionals about how the Administration should support people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Besides holding in-person forums across the country (Envisioning the Future Forums), ADD has been collecting recommendations online.
Unfortunately, ADD is hearing much more from those who support institutional care over full participation in the community. VOR (Voices of the Retarded) has flooded the website with requests to retain “institutional options.” Please take a moment to add your voice as to how you would like our nation to invest money and effort.
If it makes it easier, you can simply cut and paste this message:
I believe ADD should support full participation for people with disabilities in the community. People with disabilities want to live, work, and recreate in the community. Please put resources into community supports and services, NOT into institutions.
Your personal stories are powerful. Families and people with disabilities who are members of TASH have dramatic stories of the power of inclusion in the community. If you have written something in the past, you can copy documents into the website, as well as write something new now. If you have been involved in one of TASH’s diversity initiatives, your ideas would be especially important, so that the FULL community can be represented. You can write more than one entry. I got on a roll and wrote 3 different entries as new ideas came to me. The website for submitting testimony is: https://www.envision2010.net/comment_submit.php.
To see testimonies that have already been posted, please refer to: https://www.envision2010.net/others.php
It’s critical that ADD hear from many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or their family members. Let’s hear those TASH voices for inclusion! Please submit your comments before March 4 at: https://www.envision2010.net/comment_submit.php
Susan Yuan
TASH-NE Chapter