Urge Washington to reform care for disabled

VOR is urging the Obama administration to reform the care system for people with developmental disabilities. They have set up a petition to the White House and are asking everyone who can to add their name in support. If a significant number of people voice their concern about this important issue, White House staff will review it, ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.

Called People with Intellectual Disabilities - Crisis in Care, the petition reads as follows:

Title
We petition the Obama administration to reform the care system for people with developmental disabilities to prevent additional tragedies.

Petition Description
The care system for many thousands of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) is in crisis. Facility closures, service cuts, increasing abuse and an overall lack of oversight are symptoms of the crisis. The system is falling short - our country must protect one of its most vulnerable populations. How can it meet the needs of the 200,000+ individuals waiting for services? Highly publicized tragedies involving people with ID/DD in all settings speak to the urgent need for a solution. Proposed cuts to Medicaid, a life-line for the majority of people with ID/DD, and related policies which eliminate, rather than expand, services will only make the present crisis worse.

Advocates must set biases aside and unite. Elected-officials must act. The need is urgent.

To sign the petition, click here (http://wh.gov/bBY). You will be required to create a WhiteHouse.gov account. Please don't be put off by this procedure - it involves just a few steps. This is to ensure that only individuals (and not computers) are signing the petition. You will be asked to copy a series of numbers and/or letters, which you can change if you have difficulty reading it. A valid email address is also required.

The deadline for signing is December 1, 2011. Please also forward this information on to anyone else who you think would join in this effort.