Series showed need for aid to disabled

I wanted to thank reporter Marie Wilson for her series on the crisis for parents caring for adult children with severe disabilities in Illinois. She was thorough in her research, showing 18,671 open cases, people in crisis who are in desperate need of state services, but are left bereft.

Wilson's research shows Illinois' lack of compassion by our ranking in providing state services for the intellectually and developmental citizens of our state: we are ranked near the bottom at 47.

Surely we can be a compassionate people and our hearts go out to the struggling parents who have devoted their lives to caring for their disabled adult children.

They need our help now, and one way to help is to call Gov. Rauner and your local leaders. They represent us and have the power to change our state's appalling lack of desperately needed services for our disabled citizens.

Juli Cicarelli

Arlington Heights