At last, a move to lure teachers for disabled
Over the past 14 years as a parent advocate for my adult son with autism, I have passed from start to finish, over seven state developmental disability pieces of legislation. None have been more important than the last two that passed through the General Assembly, SB 3972 and just recently SB1558.
This legislation will allow interested students from junior and senior year in Illinois high schools through the first two years of college to set up training programs through the Illinois Department of Human Services for credit courses and apprenticeship programs that will provide a career path to be a direct support professional, to work with adults with developmental disabilities in adult day programs and group homes.
For more than 20 years, there has been a severe shortage of DSP workers to care for people with developmental disabilities in this state and no state administration, especially the current one of Gov. Pritzker, has given nonprofit organizations the right tools to recruit workers. the have had to fight tooth and nail on a yearly basis to receive pay raises, just enough to make the job competitive, but not put this important job out in front of the pack where it belongs.
This parent's journey started in the winter of 2021 after being frustrated with sending my son to his Pursuit Adult Day program with the Northwest Special Recreation Association in Rolling Meadows and being told my son could not go out into the community because of COVID and short staffing, to teaming up with the hard working people in the administration, Tom Draper, Andrea Griffin and their team, to put the first passed legislation into action, this past year and hearing words I thought I would never hear. The program at my sons school is fully staffed.
This program besides only four to five high schools and two junior colleges that do similar things, is one of the first in the nation and in the state. Let's get the word out and get this program going full steam ahead!
Mike Baker
Schaumburg