Heartbreaking: S.I. parents watch disabled children regress during pandemic, with no vaccination in sight
Updated Jan 31, 2021;
Posted Jan 31, 2021
According to FAIR Health, people with I/DD are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than patients without disabilities. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)AP
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Parents of children with physical, intellectual and developmental (I/DD) disabilities say their children are still the forgotten population nearly one year since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began.
Through no fault of their own, many schools and day programs for the I/DD community on Staten Island and throughout the state shuttered during the pandemic, forcing those who rely on the assistance, specific programming, therapies and continuity to stay home – many without services.
Developmental Disabilities Alliance of Western New York Family Committee
More than 1,000 people participated in a virtual statewide rally Wednesday calling on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reconsider budget cuts for services for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) faces nearly half a billion dollars in funding cuts and other withholdings amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the statewide coalition New York Disability Advocates. Several rally speakers also said the cuts are just the latest offense following a decade of chronic underfunding.
New York State Assemblywoman Melissa Miller speaks during Wednesday s virtual rally.