FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2010-Contact: Chris Hilderbrant (585)546-7510, Cell (585) 267-0343, childerbrant@cdrnys.org

FATE of the State

Disability Community Responds to the Governor’s State of the State

(Rochester, NY): A major victory for disability advocates was apparent to those who viewed the Governor’s State of the State address’ webcast: a sign language interpreter translated the speech live and captions were provided in the internet broadcast. Rochester has the highest per capita deaf population in the country and yet this entire segment of the population has been excluded from watching the State of the State address in previous years. According to Dean DeRusso, Deaf Systems Advocate for the Regional Center for Independent Living, “I found the interpreter very helpful. She did a great job. I would like to wave hands to the Governor’s staff for helping make this happen.”

Although the method for delivering the speech acknowledged the needs of people with disabilities, the substance of the speech did not. For example, the Governor stated his intent to increase affordable housing in three upstate metropolitan areas: Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, noting 23,000 vacant units in Buffalo alone. According to Diane Coleman, Assistant Director of Advocacy for the Center for Disability Rights, “While affordable housing is essential to people with disabilities, without accessible housing, any efforts the State makes to increase the affordable housing stock will leave people with disabilities out in the cold.”

The fiscal health of the State is poor and the tone of the Governor’s address today certainly paints a bleak picture for the budget battle to come. The message in the address, coupled with the abhorrent proposals in the original Deficit Reduction Plan (DRP), indicate to people with disabilities that the Governor will go to great lengths to curb state spending. The Governor framed the debate as though there have to be drastic cuts in order to save the State, but some reforms can save money without cutting services.

Through tireless advocacy, the disability community was able to successfully protect supports and services in the DRP that keep people with disabilities out of institutions. However, this victory is followed by the daunting reality that the upcoming budget may once again attack people with disabilities’ civil right to live in the community. This does not have to be the fate of our state – there are solutions that could save the state money and promote the independence and integration of people with disabilities. We hope that Governor Paterson will listen this year.

In the report from the Governor’s office on the State of the State 2010, “A Time to Rebuild: An era of reform and recommitment,” Governor Paterson emphasizes “ensuring the right price is paid for the right care in the right setting.” The disability community could not agree more. It is time for the State to truly commit to shifting funds away from antiquated institutional models to community-based settings, which is not only what people prefer but is also far more cost effective to the State.

Lieutenant Governor Ravitch is to oversee a four year plan to improve the fiscal health of the State. According to Chris Hilderbrant, Director of Advocacy for the Center for Disability Rights, “For nearly a decade, disability advocates have made cost-saving proposals to the Executive and Legislature that would provide more desirable services while curbing health care spending and satisfying the directive of the Governor to pay the right price on the right care in the right setting.” The State could save hundreds of millions of dollars in the Medicaid system if the State committed to serving people in the least costly model of long term care, which is consumer directed community-based programs. Disability advocates look forward to working with the Executive office on such proposals that will help, in the words of the Governor, “rebuild the Empire State.”

The Center for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR) is a non-profit service and advocacy organization devoted to the full integration, independence and civil rights of people of all ages with all types of disabilities. With services in 13 counties in New York State (NYS) and offices in Rochester, Corning, Geneva, Albany, and New York City, CDR represents the concerns of thousands of people with disabilities.

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