The DDSD policymakers passed policy that does not allow family or anyone living with a client to work more than 40hrs/wk. This does not save DDSD any money because they will continue to pay the agencies the same amount no matter who works the hours. There are some clients who are very difficult to staff and families have sacrificed alot to keep their person at home. The agencies were dealing with this by lowering the pay per hour of workers who worked overtime, thus not paying out more than they were receiving.

WHY MAKE THESE ‘FAMILY UNFRIENDLY’ POLICIES? Well, the policy makers told me it was because they felt like there were families trying to get 24hr care for their person and employ everyone in the family. Personally, I believe that they plan on passing policy not paying families to be the caretakers anymore. This would force many individuals into group or DLS homes. The agencies who contract with DDSD may be behind this because they are very well organized and closely watching proposed policy and will make more money from their client living in a group type home as opposed to living in their own home or with family.

It seems like

The individuals employed by sheltered workshops have made extraordinary efforts to become proficient at a wide variety of skills. Through sheer desire and will power they have learned to perform tasks that give them the chance to work and be a benefit to society. To have such a strong desire to be productive and to master job skills when some of those same individuals require assistance tying their shoes demonstrates just how much it means to them to be employed. Just as importantly, they develop friendships and learn interpersonal skills as they interact with their co-workers. They become part of a team as they strive to achieve common goals. They have a strong sense of belonging that raises their self-esteem. They develop a positive self-image, which for many is a new experience since for most of their lives society has focused only on the things they can’t do.

Individuals with mental challenges have struggled all their lives to fit in and be a part of the community. They have fought to enjoy the same rights and opportunities that most of us take for granted. For the state to turn its back on them now is morally wrong. That is not what the taxpayers want. They do not want to decimate the lives of thousands of their fellow citizens in order to save some money. The people of our state want their tax dollars spent wisely so that it does the most good. What better use can there be for that money than improving the lives of people who have been neglected and treated as social outcasts for so many years? We cannot turn back the clock to a time when developmentally disabled people were forced to be second class citizens. It has been a long difficult battle for them to gain acceptance and equality, and it would be tragic to give all that progress back now. Oklahoma is filled with good, caring people who do not want the innocent to suffer unfairly. We need to show courage and wisdom as we consider the upcoming budget cuts. Each person that is at risk from these financial decisions is someone’s son, daughter, grandchild or sibling. They are human beings that are loved and that have love to give in return.

If the proposed budget cuts to DDSD go through, people with developmental disabilities could lose their jobs and even their homes through no fault of their own. They have done nothing wrong. They have played by the rules that we established, and yet we are ready to take it all away from them. That is not right. Our elected leaders have to be willing to take a stand on behalf of those who have been taken advantage of so often in the past. Someday any one of these legislators could have a child or grandchild with a developmental disability. Should that occur they will want that child to have every opportunity to lead a happy, normal successful life with all the help that will be needed to make that a reality.

The world can be a confusing place for all of us, but imagine how confusing it can sometimes be for someone who is mentally challenged. How can we expect them to understand when they are told they are losing their job even though they’ve been an excellent employee? How can they possibly understand when they are forced to move out of the home they love and share with their friends? We have to better people than that. We cannot treat our fellow citizens so cruelly. We have to look within ourselves and determine what kind of society we want to be. Is every decision we make regarding innocent people’s lives going to be financially driven? Are we willing to destroy the lives of other human beings to save a dollar? Are we willing throw away decades of hard-fought progress for short term monetary gain? Has it come to this?

In many ways the legislature now holds the lives of the developmentally disabled in their hands. These trusting individuals are counting on us to step up and make intelligent but, even more importantly, compassionate decisions. Every person deserves to live a safe, healthy life with dignity, but all of this will be put in jeopardy if state funding for DDSD is drastically cut. The financial decisions that are about to be made are not really about money, they are about what we value. Do we care about each other? Are we willing to help each other? Will we provide the supports and assistance necessary so that everyone can thrive in our state, or are we so concerned about money that we will take advantage of the most vulnerable among us? If these cuts go through, and thousands of disabled individuals lose their jobs and their homes, we will all share in the disgrace and the shame.