Advocacy

Advocacy Initiatives

New York State Advocacy

We’re asking the state to do two things:

Include a 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment in the 2024-25 Budget

&

Establish a Direct Support Wage Enhancement for Care Workers

New York State’s failure to recognize and fully support the specialty care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) has created a separate and unequal system of health care. NY’s Medicaid policy has led to people with disabilities being denied equitable access to care simply because the cost of care for their complex needs is higher than that for the typical Medicaid population.

 

Take a moment to urge your legislators to support New Yorkers with disabilities and make health equity a priority in New York state!

Please click below to use the One-Click Advocacy Tool

Federal Advocacy

Call on Congress to Recognize Direct Support Professionals

The Ask:

Use our advocacy tool to tell your members of Congress that direct support professionals need a standard occupational classification!

The Details:

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) leverage the services of direct support professionals (DSPs) in order to live and work in their homes and communities. However, low wages due to stagnant reimbursement rates have led to high turnover and vacancy rates in the DSP workforce. The loss of DSPs across the field has left many people without stable access to home- and community-based supports.

Because we need data to understand the scope of the workforce crisis before we can fully solve the problem, the creation of a standard occupational classification (SOC) for DSPs is foundational to ensuring people with I/DD have access to critical supports and services. A unique SOC for DSPs would help states and the federal government collect data on demographics and turnover rates. This, in turn, will help inform policies to address the workforce shortage. A DSP SOC will also help states more accurately set rates, which could positively impact DSP wages.

Tell your members of Congress today to support the bipartisan “Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act” (H.R. 2941 / S. 1332), which requires the Office of Management and Budget to consider a separate category within the Standard Occupational Classification system for DSPs.


Resource Links:

Self-Advocacy Association of New York State – Central/Northern Region

Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN)

Disability Visibility Project

Mapping Access – Contra* Podcast (Critical Design Lab)

Access is Love (Disability Intersectionality Summit)

10 Principles of Disability Justice (Sins Invalid)