Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Home › News › Local News

Economy shreds hopes of disabled

By Ed Sealover, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 26, 2008 at 8:43 p.m.
Updated December 26, 2008 at 8:47 p.m.

Text size  
Dimitri Lucas looks at family pictures with his parents Irene Lucas and Louis Lucas at their Colorado Springs home. Lucas is a 28-year-old autistic man who after 2 1/2 years of looking for a job found one with Ingenix, a firm that processes insurance claims.

Kirk Speer/The Gazette

Dimitri Lucas looks at family pictures with his parents Irene Lucas and Louis Lucas at their Colorado Springs home. Lucas is a 28-year-old autistic man who after 2 1/2 years of looking for a job found one with Ingenix, a firm that processes insurance claims.

More Local News

More stories »

The flush of optimism the developmentally disabled community felt last summer with the signing of legislation to give them long-awaited relief and opportunities is fading fast.

The 10 bills Gov. Bill Ritter signed June 5 were meant to provide jobs for the disabled, increase oversight of their care and reduce by up to 700 the number of people on a years-long waiting list for service.

The waiting list is being pared slowly, but the econmy's collapse is wiping out nearly all of the other gains.

None of the job programs is under way, an online registry of abusive or neglectful caregivers isn't close to being ready, and legislation seen as providing the next big steps forward for the disabled won't be introduced.

Lagging tax revenues are forcing almost every aspect of state government to scale back. But advocates for the developmentally disabled say they fear for that community if there is a rolling back of hard-earned gains.

"These are people who are very vulnerable. ... They're not able to take care of themselves," said Roger Jensen, CEO of Starpoint, a nonprofit working with the disabled in Fremont, Custer and Chaffee counties. "We fought too hard to get these new (opportunities), and to see them go down the drain because of a budget-cutting process is unconscionable to us."

Roughly 12,000 developmentally disabled Coloradans remain on waiting lists to get state services, of which some 4,200 need intensive or round-the- clock care. The average wait is eight years, and some individuals can't get help until their parent or caregiver dies, said Jeremy Schupbach, legislative liaison for Alliance, an advocacy group for the disabled.

A special legislative committee met in 2007 to find solutions and came up with a slew of bills, all of which passed in 2008 with bipartisan support.

Enactment of many of the bills is on hold, however.

Two Colorado Springs Republicans, Reps. Bob Gardner and Larry Liston, successfully sponsored a pair of measures giving tax credits to businesses that hired the developmentally disabled and setting aside some state contracts for nonprofits that have a work force the majority of whom are disabled.

But the tax credits will not be offered because the state doesn't have enough money, and jobs that were to be set aside for the disabled aren't being filled because of a hiring freeze, Schupbach said.

Getting a list of abusive caregivers online requires raising $33,000 from private sources, and that has not happened, Schupbach noted.

Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, was supposed to sponsor a bill allowing parents to set aside money for their disabled children and have it partially matched by the state, but she announced after this month's grim economic forecast that the idea is off the table.

Meanwhile, three regional centers that house and treat severely developmentally disabled adults have not been able to accept new clients for months because they can't expand staffs, said Marijo Rymer, executive director of The Arc of Colorado. If people can't get into the centers, they tend to end up in jail, in the hospital or homeless, she said.

Ritter announced this week that department heads should prepare to cut as much as 10 percent of their budgets next year — a move that could take some $40 million from the Division for Developmental Disabilities, Jensen said.

Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said the governor does not want to unduly harm areas like developmental disability services that he has helped build up the past two years. Ritter will be looking to minimize potential damage in whatever cuts he recommends, Dreyer said.

The disabled community also has a strong ally in Sen. Moe Keller, a Wheat Ridge Democrat and chairwoman of the Joint Budget Committee. Keller, who sponsored four of the 10 bills Ritter signed in June, said she will fight against any cuts in these services.

Helping the developmentally disabled

Here are the bills Gov. Bill Ritter signed June 5 for the developmentally disabled community:

HB 1031: Created pilot program to help those on service waiting list

HB 1047: Allows set-aside of state jobs for nonprofits employing the disabled

HB 1101: Requires legislature to consider annual allocations for services to the developmentally disabled

HB 1127: Established tax credit for businesses that hire the developmentally disabled

HB 1220: Cleanup bill that made it easier for local agencies to get state funds

HB 1246: Creates registry of individuals who have mistreated disabled clients

SB 02: Allows qualified family members to provide services at home for the developmentally disabled

SB 04: Studies how to improve state's ability to hire developmentally disabled workers

SB 05: Creates outcome- based employment program

SB 165: Codifies the Colorado Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities

Comments

  • December 26, 2008

    9:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Oh_Wise_One writes:

    Is this what Obamessiah meant by sharing the wealth? Welcome to the next depression caused by the gloom and doom of the Dimocratics. Congrats, you won.

  • December 26, 2008

    9:53 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    HopiMedicineMan writes:

    I have entrepreneur friends, life long Coloradans, leaving for Mississippi and South Carolina. Another arrived in Louisiana in time for Katrina. If it’s happening on this level, imagine what’s happening all over the state. The loss to Colorado of the business class could be a spectacular. I have this feeling deep in my gut that Bill Ritter doesn’t really shiv a git in view of his ridiculous utopian economy, wind, solar, aliens, superstrings and Slinkies. The man and side kick Salazar rival the fool status of George Bush.

  • December 27, 2008

    12:05 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    windskull writes:

    Hopi or should I say DOPEY, not as an insult but to remind you under whose tuttledge absolute dino Salazar & Denver DA Ritter attained their lear-ned skills hint it`s the tribe of malcreants that rode herd over the legislature since the 1960`s! What you 2 dimensional republiconfederates need to do is reflect on who drove the stagecoach over the cliff and stop sniveling when progress doesn`t come as a magic wand wave when your chosen affiliation has been 4 decades making one mess on top of another while solving NOTHING go on now brag how republican dominance in the last 40 years has improved air, water,traffic, education, health care or public safety then reflect on what are baby steps yes but dammit man it takes time to unlearn a lifetime of guilt by association and you cannot say that at least Gov Ritter is putting forth an effort, thankfully Obama saw through dino Salazar`s Musgrave like tendencies and he pulled that idiot out of where he could continue governmment stagnancy that Bush evoked

  • December 27, 2008

    12:29 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SL10 writes:

    People of Colorado said eff the disabled when they voted NO to an amendment that would have helped greatly....

  • December 27, 2008

    5:22 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LOUIE writes:

    SL10, all tax increases got shot down not just the disabled amendment. People are losing everything and more taxation isn't something they are going to put upon themselves. With the economy melting down, taxes are the last thing people will vote for. Able-bodied, disabled, working, retired, young, old everybody is going to feel the pinch. Most will be letting their health insurance go; medicaid will be a blessing compared to those without jobs and insurance who will have no government assistance. It's just begun to tighten up, it's going to get a lot worse as his economy keep losing ground for the next few years at least. Sad, but the handicap won't be the only ones suffering, most aren't able to get government assistance or medical assistance from the government when they lose everything, they just flat out will have nothing. Not a good time to raise taxes, everybody is hurting even education and our children will feel the pinch. RMN will have all sorts of human suffering to write about soon, not just the handicap. Hopefully the democrats having the majority in congress and the executive office can turn this around, but I have little faith in politicians regardless of party. Printing money out of thin air and giving it away to everybody will have it's day of reckoning also. Wait till after January and watch the layoffs as companies really lean out and many just fold up. It's going to be a rough few years to say the least, taxes won't make it on the ballot, and TABOR will force the government to downsize as revenues shrink.

  • December 27, 2008

    8:15 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SheikYurBooty writes:

    Wise One - you need to get a grip on your anger dude.

  • December 27, 2008

    8:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    hikingartist writes:

    I pay taxes and I don't mind helping out the needy. But the GOP has demonized taxes so much that during the last election the local public would not even pitch in for the disabled, yet they still support sending Iraq millions of US tax dollars each and every day. You did a heckuva a job bushie.

  • December 27, 2008

    9:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    RoyalPayne writes:

    I am also angry. Angry that our country was in some cases given away. Mostly, it was sold to the highest bidder ! Many of our elected officals sold their soul and their country for money, power and votes. There was a time when the government was by the people, for the people. Our politicans woked for us, not the party or themselves. Now our government does what it wants and the voice of the voters mean nothing. Example: Wall St. bailout, banking, auto makers, most citizens did not want these bailouts, said let the chips fall where they may. It's a sad day when America can no longer take care of it's own people.