Legislators letting down developmentally disabled

As a parent and a volunteer at Clearbrook, a program based in Arlington Heights that serves over 7,000 Illinois residents who are developmentally disabled, I am like many of you, distressed that due to the lack of a state budget our state is not paying its fair share to human service agencies.

Access Living and the ARC, agencies which advocate for the developmentally disabled and agencies like Clearbrook are urging our legislators to increase the wages of the people who work at Clearbrook and other like agencies. Because of low salaries, it is becoming more and more difficult to get the staff needed to care for their clients, many who need around-the-clock critical care.

I understand Illinois is in an ugly budget battle. What I don't understand is why Illinois still has seven large state-operated developmental centers. According to Access Living in 2014, these centers served about 1,700 people at a cost of $429 million. That's about $250.000 per resident in these segregated institutions.

Clearbrook has many CILAs or homes in the community. There may be one in your neighborhood, Here the residents live, work, thrive, and are cared for. The annual price range of services for individuals who live in Clearbrook CILAs range from $40 upward depending on a resident's needs, certainly not the $250,000 cost in a state run institution.

There is no question that Clearbrook residents are a welcomed part of our communities. The only people who are failing as community partners are our governor and legislators. They cannot pass a budget, they continue to support large outdated segregated and expensive state institutions, and they do not support a living wage for care givers.

Remember Clearbrook when you talk to your local legislator and when you vote.

Juli Cicarelli

Arlington Heights.