I was thrilled to be among the members of the family advocacy group A-Team Delaware, which was in the Legislative Hall gallery May 24 when Sen. Trey Paradee, chair of the Joint Finance Committee, made the following announcement: "The McNesby Act will be fully funded." We broke out in applause and cheers. This was years in the making, and its impact will help those who care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to make a living wage. Direct support professionals support adults in the community, in day programs and in group homes.
The Michael McNesby Full Funding for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Act was passed in June 2018 and signed by Gov. Carney Sept. 4, 2018 at Elwyn Delaware, the agency that served McNesby for many years. It took a lot of work to get this bill passed in 2018, and it has taken even more work to get the McNesby Act fully funded in May 2022.
My daughter Rose is a proud graduate of Cape Henlopen High School, Class of 2014. She loves her jobs at Fish On restaurant in Lewes, Chick-fil-A in Rehoboth Beach and Pasqualini's Bakery in Rehoboth Beach. She works 25 hours each week, with the support of the POW&R Supported Employment Program of Autism Delaware, which started here in Sussex County just before her high school graduation. Without the support of her direct support professionals, she wouldn't be able to contribute to her community. She enjoys the company of her co-workers and they appreciate her tremendous work ethic. These are Rose's favorite 25 hours of the week.
I hope each person reading this letter knows someone with an I/DD and can understand how much their families love them, struggle for them and worry about what will happen to them when we can no longer be their primary supporters. Members of the JFC have taken an important step in helping us to take care of members of our families who are your fellow Delawareans.
Thanks to this fiscal year 2023 funding of $16.5 million by the state and the federal matching funds of $27.5 million, I hope Autism Delaware and many other agencies doing the daily work of supporting, teaching and improving the lives of our adult children will be able to fully staff their programs and provide appropriate services for everyone who needs them.
Thank you to all of the members of the JFC for your hard work and public service, and especially for seeing those of us who parent adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We truly could not survive without our dedicated direct service professionals. They take care of our adult children, who are among Delaware's most vulnerable citizens. Rose brings joy and purpose to our lives and to many folks in the community who know her. I also want to thank retiring Sen. Ernie Lopez for his strong support of the McNesby Act and our family over the years. You will be missed, Ernie. Thank you, Delaware.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
