Writing in the Boston Globe, Bella English sees little logic in a Massachusetts decision to slash funding for a day program for people with developmental disabilities.

At a cost of about $8,000 per person annually, programs like the one run by the ARC have helped people with developmental disabilities remain at home with their families, English says. Without them, the state would have to pay for costly residential programs with pricetags of up to $80,000 per person per year. An excerpt:

It took ARC 30 years to build the family support network that saves the state money while protecting the vulnerable, many of them afflicted with multiple health issues. And it has taken precious little time to destroy all of that in the 2010 budget.

… The Commonwealth has always had a bit of a superiority complex about its enlightened institutions and values. But one strong measure of a civilized society is how it treats its most vulnerable, and by that measure, Massachusetts doesn’t seem very civilized at all.

A spokeswoman for the funding agency, the soon-to-be-renamed Department of Developmental Services, says its first priority is to provide residential care and rehabilitative services.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 2:49 pm and is filed under budget, commentary, community services, Down syndrome, intellectual/developmental disabilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.