Call Today For Increased Funding for Independent Living Centers!

Independent Living Centers like CIDNY provide people with disabilities and their families the supports and services that help them live independently and integrated in their communities. ILCs rely on the State for funding to provide these vital services, but New York State has failed to adequately fund centers for well over a decade, leaving us struggling to continue providing services. 

The State Education Department and Board of Regents recommended a $5 million increase for ILCs for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, Governor Cuomo’s proposed Executive Budget failed to give centers this additional funding they need to meet the needs of their communities. But it isn’t too late to get an increase in this year’s budget!

The next step is the legislature. The Senate and Assembly will release their one house budget responses in mid-March. There were budget sign-on letters in support of an increase in funding for Independent Living Centers in both houses with strong support.  Now we need to put pressure on the Senate and Assembly’s leadership and Education Committee Chairs to include this $5 million increase for Independent Living Centers!
 
ACTION: Make the following four phone calls today to help ensure Independent Living Centers receive a vital funding increase in this year’s budget!

  1. Call the Assembly’s Education Chair, Catherine Nolan at 518-455-4851
  2. Call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie at 518-455-3791
  3. Call the Senate’s Education Chair, Carl L. Marcellino at 518-455-2390
  4. Call Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan at 518-455-2071

Say: Help Independent Living Centers and the people with disabilities they serve by providing ILCs with a crucial funding increase of $5 million in the one house budget.”
 
Below are some additional talking points. Feel free to customize based on your personal experience.

Talking Points:

  • Independent Living Centers have gone well over a decade with level funding, which is why this modest increase of only $5 million is so crucial.
  • Independent Living Centers save the State money! Every $1 invested in ILCs saves the State $9 thanks to their work helping people leave nursing facilities and other institutions.
  • This additional funding will help centers to cover the increased costs of providing services and prevent them from program cutbacks and staff layoffs.
  • This additional funding will ensure they can meet the needs of their local communities across the State.

Learn more about the federal impact on ILC funding here.

Trump Budget Proposal Cuts Funding to Independent Living and Other Vital Programs

Last week, the President released his budget proposal for FY 2019 (PDF). Unsurprisingly, the budget proposes steep cuts to the programs people with disabilities rely on, including the Independent Living Program! While it’s only a proposal, it does show us the areas we’ll have to continue fighting for. We need to make sure our voices are heard NOW before Congress begins the FY 2019 appropriations process!

First, the budget proposes cutting the Independent Living line item by $5 million.

CIDNY and other independent living centers have been asking for more funding because the program has been underfunded for years!

Also, despite promising not to cut Social Security, the proposed budget would cut $83 billion over 10 years.

The President’s budget proposal would also reduce spending on many other programs people with disabilities rely on. The HHS budget would be slashed by 21%. The Department of Education budget would be cut by 10.5%. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) would be cut by nearly 30% and restructured. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) would be defunded. Section 8 vouchers would be cut by nearly $1 billion; and more major funding cuts and changes to housing, education, and other important programs are proposed.

While this budget is terrible, Congress will likely not include many of these proposals in their appropriations bills. That said, it is still important that our members of Congress hear from us! We need to fight against any cuts that will negatively impact the Independent Living Program and people with disabilities.

Talk with your Senators and Representative and urge them not to accept Trump’s cuts to Independent Living. Talk to them about the value of Independent Living. Have them visit us! And make sure they know how important the programs we rely on are to their disabled constituents because more changes are on the way.

We need to reach Meeks, Meng, Velasquez, Jeffries, Clarke, Nadler, Donovan, Maloney, Espillat, Crowley, Serrano, and Engels. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) to be connected. Direct office contact information can be found at Contacting Congress. Can’t call? You can also text RESIST to 50409 or contact elected officials online. Take action today!

Youth Transitions Program: Preparing for the Future

CIDNY’s youth transition program for youth with disabilities helps high school or college students plan their transition into adult life. We use the Next Step program, a six to nine week curriculum to teach students the soft skills needed for success. These include effective communication, managing a budget, and how to advocate for themselves as they continue on to college and the working world.

For students who want to work right after high school, we help them prepare their resumes, learn how to interview, and give them an opportunity to interact in a work environment. We treat the classroom like a workplace, with teachers as bosses or supervisors and classmates as fellow co-workers. Students are taught how to speak and act with different people.

M.D., a high school student in Queens, was very quiet and tended to mumble when answering questions at the start of the program. As the Next Step program progressed, he started sounding more confident when answering questions. At the mock interview workshop towards the end of the program, he came dressed for an interview, spoke clearly, and was prepared to answer questions about himself. M.D. said he’s interested “in rapping” but also “in mechanics or painting (like contractor work.)” He’s now enrolled in a vocational program at Co-op Tech

For youth with disabilities who see college as an option, we provide information on how to prepare for it. Activities create an awareness of the laws that exist to protect people with disabilities. This is critical for successful independent living

The Next Step program’s workshops and presentations are tailored to the needs of the youth with disabilities we serve. We provide support so they can start their life after high school or college with confidence and awareness of the laws that protect people with disabilities

In the 2016-2017 school year, we delivered the Next Step program workshops to 126 youth with disabilities in nine different high schools, including a residential school in Queens. We also helped 18 college students at two Queens area colleges. With the help of ASL interpreters, the Next Step program was also delivered to a group of six Deaf students during the summer.      

CIDNY’s youth transition program is gearing up to deliver workplace readiness and/or college preparation workshops for the new school year.

For more information, please contact Shireen Khan at skhan@cidny.org or 646-442-1521.

You might also enjoy this video featuring the Director of CIDNY Queens, Don Rickenbaugh, sharing his advice for youth with disabilities.