Sunday, January 11, 2009

Please BE a part of the CHANGE

It's almost here. The start of a new government administration. The election platform of President-elect Obama was CHANGE. I want to make him stick with that. Don't you?

I know that there is so much change needed in the U.S. But one that is near and dear to my heart is the END of the waiting list for people with disabilities to receive help. It affects me personally as my daughter is disabled. That gives me first-hand knowledge of why services are needed by this group of U.S. Citizens. And why we need to help by making our voices heard and bringing this need to the top 10 Ideas for Change in America.

(Click the above link to read about it if you are unfamilar with the dilimena of disabled people. And voting would be good too.)

In Oklahoma (where I live) the wait is 3 years. It's longer in other states. This is unacceptable to me. Anyone involved with people that have developmental disabilities (a.k.a. mental retardation), KNOW how much help these people need with just day-to-day living.

They are as vulnerable as an elementary child alone in the world.
Think of a child that never grows up mentally. Their bodies look like adults but they do not think like one.

POINT is.......YOU can help with just registering at change.org and letting our new President and his administration know that fully funded Medicaid and waiver program needs immediate resolution. Please!!

Here is the link - Change.org Click on that or copy and paste this long url into your browser -
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/fully_fund_medicaid_waivers_for_the_developmentally_disabled

You have to register (sorry!) and confirm your registration via an email to your email address (please, it's worth it!).

IMPORTANT
NOTE: MAKE CERTAIN YOUR VOTE REGISTERS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE NUMBER TO THE LEFT OF THE TITLE THAT SAYS "VOTE" UNDER IT IN ORDER TO HAVE YOUR
VOTE ACTUALLY COUNT. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THAT, IT WILL SAY "VOTED".
REGISTERING ON THE SITE AND ENTERING A COMMENT DOES NOT
COUNT AS A VOTE!

If we make it to the Top 10, Change.org will:
On January 16th, Change.org will co-host an event at the National Press
Club
in Washington, DC to announce the top 10 rated ideas and our plans
for supporting the formation of a national advocacy campaign behind
each idea in collaboration with our nonprofit partners. The top 10
ideas will also be presented to President Obama on inauguration day.

5 comments:

Janet said...

This is definitely something I can do! Thanks for bringing to our attention. Three years is too long to wait for help!!

Brenda, Domedweller said...

Thank you for this information. The journey with my little autistic granddaughter has just begun and we need all the help we can get. I have cast my vote.

Jenny (GuppyLovesShark) said...

I voted. Thanks for sharing this. We have a child with apraxia and at least one with ADHD. Two of our four kids have GAD as well. Medical expenses are - well, expensive! Since our youngest boy was diagnosed with apraxia, we've been able to claim a tax credit because it qualifies as a disability. This helps offset the medical and testing expenses a bit. This year was going to be the first that we could also claim a deduction for oldest son (adhd, gad, odd, ocd, and super expensive to care for) Hubby has been working on taxes and just found out that our state did away with that deduction this year. We are so upset. We were sort of counting on that deduction to help offset the cost of the adhd kiddo's prescriptions this year. Hubby wrote a letter to our representative but I don't know that we'll hear back or anything. I hope that changes can be made that will benefit your child with disabilities. Hugs and have a great day!

Rosa said...

Straight over from Janet's. I'm so happy you posted this. Yes, CHANGE is in order! My brother is a quadriplegic and if it weren't for his insurance (thank GOD), he would be living on the streets. They are hardly any help at all. I get involved with change.org as needed. This is definitely one of those times! Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy, thanks so much for alerting us to this. I just added my vote to the count and sent the info to my family and friends. I work at SPOT Rehabilitation and although we are not a pediatric clinic over 50% of our patients are children with a whole range of disabilities, including developmental. As a transciptionist I am touched daily by how hard they and their families work and struggle. I am proud to have my vote counted.
Peg