Update 3/12/09

I haven't really been feeling up to updating this lately, but I need to. As of Friday, March, 13th, children who are not ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care Services) will no longer receive services under the age of 3. This means all children who are disabled and delayed between birth and three years are left out. For those who do not know, ALTCS is nearly impossible to get. There are four disabilities that are suppose to guarantee ALTCS approval, these disabilities are epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy, and cognitive disabilities such as down syndrome and fragile-x etc. To show how hard it is to get ALTCS, I see 26 children a week, only 3 of them are ALTCS approved. Out of the other DSIs in the company I work for, there are only 4 more ALTCS children. Basically there are thousands of children out there that will not receive services, leaving them years behind and the states more costly "problem" once they reach school.

People have been talking about how Obama is going to focus on education. He does have a plan for children birth to 5, but it focuses on child care. There is little to no mention on getting children with disabilities and significant delays the help they need BEFORE they start school at the age of five. Children who do not get a chance to grow mentally and physically by the age of 3, will be years behind their peers. These children will need additional services once in school, which cost more than the services they could have received before entering school. For the state of Arizona, and a few other states, to take these services away completely baffles me. Out of all the services to be cut, they are taking it away from the age group that grows more mentally and physically in those first three years than in the remaining years of their life. Does no one care about QUALITY of life? If education is so important, why are people not giving these children a fighting chance?

So, basically that is what has been going on. The news channels have focused on child care being cut, never mentioning the impact these cutbacks have had on children with disabilities. People do not seem to care about these children. While the governor has been "finding" money to help with child care, there is NO mention of money for children with disabilities. So, I ask you this: how is this fare?

Tomorrow will be my last day with all but 6 children. Numerous families did not even receive the letter the state sent out. Many of these parents are left out in the cold, not knowing what is going to happen with their child. These children don't even know what they are missing, not realizing their quality of life is not important to others. For that, I am sickened. Not for losing my job, but for having to tell these parents what is going on. For having to explain that I will see their child if the state decides there is money for these services.