Time for lawmakers to address Illinois' disabled

Before Bruce Rauner is sworn in, he is already asking agencies that serve people with developmental disabilities to cut their budgets as much as 20 percent.

This is coming from a governor whose campaign avoided answering questions on where he stands on caring for the state's developmental disability population. For years Illinois has ranked 47th-51st in funding, serving at most 20 percent of 200,000 people with developmental disabilities. The other 80 percent are either on a waiting list or don't sign up, because members of both parties have never made helping them a priority.

The only documented action by Rauner was promising a central Illinois group to keep a state institution open that was slated to close. This after a single visit on a campaign swing - hardly an effort to understand the full picture of what it's like to raise children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

For at least a decade, the state budget has never been fully funded for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Between both houses in Springfield you find fewer than 15 legislators who really try to engage the developmental disability population. Very few of them are Republicans. But the days of Republicans making excuses for not engaging in the issue are over. You have a Republican governor and now you have skin in the game.

The autism and developmentally disabled population is only getting larger. More people are reaching adulthood and are in need of job training and housing. Few state legislators understand - we (parents) will not live forever.

The state cannot avoid this any longer. Adults with disabilities will all be under the care of the state sometime in their lifetimes. It's time for both parties to understand what it's like for people to live in this state with a developmental disability.

Mike Baker

Schaumburg