Phoenix of Funding

Out of the ashes (cigarette ash more likely according to the new tax) funding for employment services for students with developmental disabilities transitioning to adult services from high school arose. So what does the tax on a can of Budweiser beer or pop (soda for non-natives) yield - well it means that around 1,000 students graduating from special education will have employment services available to them when they graduate. This $4.5 million infusion of funds is a huge relief after the “regular 09-11 budget” session slashed any funding for students hoping to work after high school. The governor and the majority of legislators calling for reasonableness in fiscal approach protecting the state’s most vulnerable indeed supported funding for adults with developmental disabilities. If the rallying cries of “jobs are the way out of the recession” then the legislature heard the call and stepped up to the plate on this and backed their rhetoric with action. The proposed cut of general employment services by another 3% also was rescinded. Before you get all hopped up (pardon the pun) over forking out extra denaro for your precious MGD to preserve funding remember that the state slashed 3% from the funding last year and since agencies such as Morningside had only received 2.5% COLA in the last 10 years we were looking at funding levels used to support individuals at 1995 rates – trust me it will be difficult to support at year 2000 rates given all the increases over the last 10 years (I think our health care cost alone had doubled in that time). So all-in-all I am quite pleased. I am pleased for the students and their families who now have hope instead of despair.

Quiet Bill Yields Huge Change

In my blog I have revealed the fact that I have been in this field a number of years now. Over the course of those years I have seen a lot of change. It’s the change prompted by self-advocates that have always caught my attention. That change was fought in a variety of ways - from the sit-ins during the 70’s to push for rights associated with the Voc Rehab Act of 1973 to the campaigning for total civil rights in the late 80’s to push for the adoption of the Americans With Disabilities Act to become a reality (the 20th anniversary of the signing will be this July 26th). And most recently in the Washington State Legislature this past session with the passage and subsequent signing of HB 2490 Respectful Language Bill. No there were no sit-ins or mass demonstrations and if you weren’t careful you would have missed this effort because huge problems like severe service cutbacks seemed paramount in many people’s minds.


However the people with significant disabilities I talked to at the legislative reception held in January the conversation was around this respectful language bill. Why was this important – well it was for respect and acceptance in my opinion. Personally not having been tagged with a label (well other than the most recent geezer) I can’t relate to being called a derogatory name – but I have experienced repeatedly in the presence of individuals with disabilities and other minorities groups name calling and many, many forms of discrimination and derogatory references. So while it may not seem like much for those of us who are not of a minority group – this is huge and I applaud the legislature, the Governor and the countless advocates and self-advocates who worked on this bill and to Representative Jan Angel the bill sponsor – well you deserve a huge thanks and much gratitude for taking this on. I have copied a piece of the bill below.

The code reviser is directed to avoid all references to: Disabled, developmentally disabled, mentally disabled, mentally ill, mentally retarded, handicapped, cripple, and crippled, in any new statute, memorial, or resolution, and to change such references in any existing statute, memorial, or resolution as sections including these references are otherwise amended by law. (b) The code reviser is directed to replace terms referenced in (a) of this subsection as appropriate with the following revised terminology: "Individuals with disabilities," "individuals with developmental disabilities," "individuals with mental illness," and "individuals with intellectual disabilities."

Who knows why at this time such a law passed? Maybe the legislature thought well we will “toss them a bone” and give them this because in the budget we are cutting their dental benefits, or they will be out of a job because we are going to lop funding. Or maybe this was an easy thing to pass - something concrete because the huge unanswered budget question was too large and took an extra session to address. Or just maybe everyone thought that in law it isn’t respectful to have words like cripple when we mean individuals with disabilities or retarded when we mean individuals with intellectual disabilities. I’d like to think the latter after all everyone deserves respect even in outdated, obscure laws.

Pizza Hut National Claim Proven Locally

At the Lacey and Thurston County Chamber Forum’s that we sponsored I highlighted a statistic we use in regards to lowering turnover that was supplied by the Pizza Hut Corporation. They report that entry-level turnover is 250% annually; among its employees with disabilities, the rate is 32%. Adding a mentor component brought turnover down to a stunning 2%. That statistic in all probability is being played out in the Pizza Hut on Pacific and Carpenter Road in Lacey with a client that we support who has been working there since 1992. One of her job duties is to make pizza boxes at during the busiest times Thursday, Friday and Saturday late afternoon and evening when the whole business is in a frenzy as pies are flying out of there as fast as frisbees at an “Ultimate Frisbee” match. She has seen managers, pizza makers, delivers, and front counter staff come and go throughout her tenure there – she is the most senior staff I suspect – and she is there day-in and day-out making those pizza boxes so there is no bottleneck in the production. Similarly, I recently took an old photo I took of the entire staff at a local Olive Garden restaurant when we awarded an Outstanding Employer Award to them a few years ago and asked the current shift manager who was there to identify any person still employed in the picture – she pointed to the person we support. Want to lower your turnover, want to improve morale; want consistency and dependability in your company please consider Pizza Hut and Olive Garden’s experience and give us a call.