The Arc of Indiana
2008 Public Policy Agenda

 

 Property taxes and politics will consume much of the energy and efforts of the 2008 Legislative Session.

 

With many counties having problems with the property tax assessment, we already know that property taxes will be one issue that the legislature will try to act on during this short session which must end by March 14.  The Arc will need to take part in the discussion of property taxes to make parties aware of the critical funding service providers receive from the counties.  

 

Although legislators will put their focus on the approaching 2008 elections, we must continue to advance initiatives that enhance the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families. 

 

The Arc of Indiana's Guiding Principles

The Arc of Indiana is committed to all people with developmental disabilities, and will work to develop programs, funding and public policy that will assist them in realizing their goals of learning, living, working and playing in the community.

 

The Arc of Indiana is committed to families, and will work to develop programs, funding, and public policy that will help support families who have loved ones with developmental disabilities. In addition, The Arc of Indiana is committed to reducing the incidence of developmental disabilities and creating public awareness.

 

The Arc of Indiana is committed to our local chapters of The Arc, and will work to develop programs and public policy that will help support them in their mission of providing quality services to people with developmental disabilities.

 

The Arc of Indiana is committed to self advocates -- people who have a developmental disability and advocate for themselves - and will work to ensure they receive the respect to which all people are entitled.

Prevention

The Arc of Indiana will support efforts to educate the public about the dangers and long term effects of the use of alcohol and controlled substances during pregnancy.  We will support efforts to increase the awareness of fetal alcohol syndrome, shaken baby syndrome and lead poisoning.  We will also support efforts that address the importance of good prenatal care and folic acid during pregnancy to reduce the risk of developmental disabilities.

 

The Arc will support efforts that will provide tracking for the prevalence of developmental disabilities and associated environmental causes. 

 

 

 

Community Based Services and Supports

The Arc of Indiana is committed to helping families receive the support and services they need to keep their loved ones at home, and to assuring people with developmental disabilities can live safely in the community when families can no longer provide for them at home.

 

Waiting Lists

The Arc of Indiana remains committed to Indiana's Comprehensive Plan for Services for People with Developmental Disabilities. Currently, it is estimated that over 15,500 people are waiting for Medicaid Waiver Services in Indiana.

 

The Arc of Indiana supports all efforts to end the waiting for the thousands of people who are in need- of services and supports.   We will work to seek  implementation of monies appropriated in the 2007 legislative session.   

 

We will work closely with the state as they re-prioritized the Developmental Disability Medicaid Waiver for those individuals who have a caregiver over the age of 80.  A recent report showed that over 400 families had caregivers over the age of 80 caring for an adult child with a developmental disability at home.  The Arc is committed to helping these families receive services quickly so that we are not waiting until a true crisis occurs.

 

The Arc will work with the state on their prioritization of  the Support Services Medicaid Waiver to help 18-24 year olds who have aged out of  Department of Education services with no programs and services to move into.  The Arc realizes that this too is an emergency and we must work to see that there are vocational rehabilitation programs for our young adults to move into so that the skills they learned while in school are not lost.

 

The Arc of Indiana is also committed to our young children who have a diagnosis that leads to a shortened life span.  It is a travesty for young children to be put on a waiting list for 6-8 years when their life expectancy is for them not to even become teenagers.  We are committed to changing our service delivery system so that these children and families can have the highest quality of life and receive some critical services to help their families.

 

The Arc of Indiana believes that person centered planning is critical in the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families. We will work to ensure that consumers and families have choices and that they are knowledgeable about their rights.

 

Direct Support Professionals

Current difficulties in assuring adequate direct support staff recruitment, retention and competence are widely reported as the single biggest barrier to the growth, sustainability, and quality of community services for people with developmental disabilities.  These are longstanding challenges in efforts to provide sufficient high quality community supports to people with developmental disabilities; but they are also ones of growing concern because the number of people demanding community services is increasing (ANCOR, 2001; Larson, Lakin & Hewitt, in press).

The Arc will support efforts by the State to provide adequate initial training and ongoing training and the development of a career path designed to attract and retain direct support professionals.  We will also support all efforts to ensure a living wage for direct support professionals that are competitive with other jobs for which the professionals are qualified. 

 

Guardianship Services

Guardianship services can be very important to individuals with developmental disabilities to assure that they have the supports necessary to keep them healthy and safe in the community.

 

The Arc of Indiana believes it is critical that people with disabilities have guardianship services available to them, should they need them. We believe that guardianship works best when a personal interest in the individual with a developmental disability is present and their wishes are taken into consideration.

 

The Arc will work closely with the state to see implementation of the $1 million in new funding which was appropriated in the 2007 legislative session for a new guardianship program.

 

Loss of Level of Care

The Arc of Indiana will continue discussions surrounding the loss of level of care issues facing people and families with developmental disabilities. We will work to ensure that all long term care, residential and family support services provide for quality assurance, regardless of the funding source.

 

Supported Employment

The Arc of Indiana will work to ensure that people with developmental disabilities have work opportunities in the community. The unemployment rate for people with developmental disabilities is staggering, estimated at 75%. The Arc of Indiana believes that people with developmental disabilities are capable of filling employment positions in the general work force and supported employment, with long term supports, is an effective way of integrating people with developmental disabilities into the general work force.

 

The Arc of Indiana will monitor the implementation of Results Based Funding to assess its impact on persons with more significant disabilities or support needs. 

 

The Arc encourages the state to create incentives for businesses who demonstrate a commitment to integrating people with developmental disabilities into their regular work force. 

 

The Arc of Indiana advocates that people with disabilities who are Medicaid / Supplemental Security Income recipients should be able to set aside part of their earned income, unearned income, or resources to save for a PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Sufficiency).  We realize a PASS can be essential in helping a person become successful when making the transition from being unemployed, to working toward gainful employment.   The Arc will work with the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning to permit PASS plans for all Medicaid recipients who are eligible for this provision.

 

 Adult Services

The Arc of Indiana will work to ensure the availability of day services for adults with developmental disabilities who are not seeking employment as a primary activity or who need supports beyond employment to achieve their life goals.  The Arc of Indiana supports services that are driven by person-centered planning and that provide meaningful activities in group and individual settings.

 

Funding

The Arc of Indiana is committed to working with the State to assure every dollar in developmental disability services is used efficiently. We will continue to work for better utilization of federal funds for Medicaid, Medicaid Waivers and Vocational Rehabilitation.

 

In addition, The Arc will work to ensure that revenue used previously for State Operated Facilities remain as a funding source for home and community based services for people with developmental disabilities. The Arc of Indiana, as well as legislators, must be open to talking about increasing taxes or creating new taxes to address growing and unmet needs in our State. The Arc of Indiana will continue to discuss and advance the idea of a dedicated revenue source, such as, but not limited to, the non-nutritive beverage fee or the Internet sales tax, for home and community based services.

 

The Arc of Indiana will work with the State to identify and pursue federal grants and other resources that will help people with developmental disabilities achieve their goals.

State Operated Facilities

The Arc of Indiana is proud to claim that Indiana is the largest state to be rid of state operated facilities for people with developmental disabilities.  However, we  will continue to work with the State for the appropriate movement of people with disabilities out of nursing homes and into the community. We will work to ensure the highest level of quality assurance is put into place for all people with disabilities, no matter where they live. We will work closely with parents and self advocates to help them with the transition of their loved ones into the community.

 

The Arc of Indiana will also work to ensure funding streams follow people and that sufficient funds are provided both for initial placements and ongoing services. We will work aggressively with other organizations and Task Forces to eliminate institutional biases that exist within the State's budget system.

 

 Criminal Justice

The Arc of Indiana recognizes the increased opportunity of people with developmental disabilities to become involved in the criminal justice system, both as offenders and victims,  as more people, choose to live in the community. People with developmental disabilities who commit crimes should be held accountable for their behavior, but should be provided appropriate supports to make their experience with the criminal justice system fair and equitable. People with developmental disabilities who become victims of crime should be treated fairly and provided the appropriate supports to protect their rights.

 

The Arc of Indiana also recognizes the importance and need for training and educating first responders as well as those involved in the criminal justice process at all levels. The Arc of Indiana will continue to monitor the pilot projects that currently exist for training police officers and those involved in the criminal justice process.

Early Intervention

The Arc of Indiana is committed to infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities. We will continue to evaluate the impact of the First Steps, Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers. The Arc of Indiana will work to support the design of the First Steps program so that it will promote family-centered principles and early intervention best practice, including the support of a developmental consultation model of service delivery and a commitment to appropriate levels of service for all eligible children. 

The Arc of Indiana will continue to closely monitor the cost participation/sliding fee scale for families to ensure that all childhood programs and services are affordable and meet the needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities, or at risk of disability and their families.

The Arc will monitor the impact of regionalization and its effect on enrollment and access to services.   In addition, The Arc of Indiana will work to ensure that all children identified with developmental disabilities will continue to be a priority for early intervention services.

Special Education

The Arc of Indiana will work to ensure that children in special education services in Indiana receive fair and equitable treatment. The Arc will-advocate for children with special needs to have the right to be educated along with their peers in an inclusive, educational setting, with appropriate supports, so they may earn a high school diploma to enhance job placement and the continuation of higher education. 

 

The Arc of Indiana supports the expansion and funding of teacher learning and professional development programs in order to meet the wide range of abilities of all students served by our public schools.

 

The Arc recognizes the lack of adequate pre-school funding for children in special education.  We promise to work with the Department of Education and other organizations to find a way to increase pre-school funding.

 

The Arc of Indiana will advocate with other organizations for the development of a plan by the Commission for Higher Education, the Professional Standards Board and the Division of Exceptional Learners to address the severe shortage of special education teachers and related service providers, and to review the limited license certification requirements and procedures as they impact special education.

 

We will continue to monitor the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Article 7 and No Child Left Behind to ensure that focus remains on academic improvement without diminishing the rights and protections afforded to children with disabilities and their families. This monitoring will be extremely important as the state is in the process of re-writing Article 7 to align its language with the federal law.  It is imperative that these revisions do not weaken parental rights nor compromise the child’s right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).  The Arc of Indiana recognizes the difficulty in the Zero Tolerance Discipline Procedures adopted by many school systems. We are committed to working with families, students and schools to work through the difficulties that arise with special education students.

 

The Arc recognizes the importance of transitioning students to adult life and  service providers and will work to ensure that students with disabilities have service options available to them when they complete with high school education.

Insurance

The Arc of Indiana will continue working with families, the state and representatives from the insurance and business industry to provide affordable, quality health insurance coverage and services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. We will support efforts to ensure that Indiana addresses the health insurance needs of children with disabilities in Indiana through the Children's Health Insurance Plan and will work to improve access to needed prescription drugs for people with developmental disabilities.

 

The Arc of Indiana will advocate for the continuation of the Indiana Comprehensive Health Insurance Association (ICHIA) program that improves access and quality health care for members.  We will work closely with the State to develop a comprehensive health plan to help lower the number of people in Indiana without any private health insurance coverage.  In doing so, we promise to fight to protect the state benefit mandates that many people with developmental disabilities depend upon.  The Arc of Indiana will work to ensure that people with developmental disabilities are not discriminated against in obtaining life or health insurance.