Virginia has a unique opportunity to reform its historical focus on large, state institutions and fully transition to a true community-based system of support for its citizens with disabilities. Get to know the facts to help make Virginia´s service delivery system one that is morally and fiscally responsible. The “future” is community living. The time for Virginia to act is now.

THE FACTS:
 

• People with disabilities of all types and degree can and do live successfully in communities of their own choice when individually appropriate services and supports are available to them.
   
• Despite this fact, only 21% of people with disabilities say that they are completely involved in their communities, and half (51%) of people with disabilities report the absence of a full social life as a concern.
   
• Barriers to community participation include: attitudinal barriers, lack of transportation, lack of awareness, lack of income, and lack of encouragement from community organizations.
   
• Though people with disabilities face physical and attitudinal barriers, this population is increasingly proving to be a powerful workforce, spending power, volunteer base, and voting base. For example, in the 2004 Presidential election, there was only a 4% gap in voter turnout between people with disabilities and people without disabilities (52% versus 56%).
   
• The World Health Organization reports that people with disabilities are the largest and fastest growing minority group, a powerful demographic with the ability to choose to live, work, and participate in the community.
   
• In Virginia, over the past 40 years state policy has called for a shift from institutions to community supports for persons with disabilities. Despite gaining recognition across the world, the Commonwealth has been slow to respond and is currently 46th among states in its funding for community-based services.
   
• In a statewide survey, Virginia’s citizens overwhelming indicated that they believe that persons with disabilities have a right to choose to live in the community and that the state has a right and responsibility to commit to a true community-based system.
   
• Studies support the sentiments of Virginia’s citizens, demonstrating that community based services offer a better quality of life than institutional settings for people with disabilities while saving tax payer dollars.
   
• Virginians have spoken – they have indicated that transitioning from state institutions to community supports is a civil rights issue for persons with disabilities.
   
• For example, people with disabilities and their families want community supports, not institutional placements; that is why over 4,300 persons on the home and community based MR Waiver wait list and 600 people on the DD Waiver wait list and who are legally entitled to ICF/MR level of care continue to wait for community-based support.
   
• If these home and community based waiver “wait list” families opted for institutional care – to which their son/daughter is legally entitled – it would cost the state $600 million per year for their care.
   
• From residential opportunities to employment, people with disabilities and their families, along with the general public, have indicated that the time has come – we can do better, we will do better.   
   
• These facts demonstrate the need for the Commonwealth to abandon its state institution approach and to adopt a strategy for transitioning away from large, segregated state institutions. The shift to community supports has been happening in Virginia and in every other state for the past 40 years. This is not a new groundbreaking approach but simply the final chapter in Virginia’s stated commitment to community-based living.
  
  

  MORE INFO

  Do Non-Institutional Long-Term Care Services Reduce Medicaid Spending?" written by H.S Kaye, M. LaPlante, and C. Harrington. It is in the journal Health Affairs, vol 28, no 1 (Jan/Feb 2009). http://content.healthaffairs.org/index.dtl

  "Taking the Long View: Investing in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Is Cost-Effective" written by R. Mollica, E. Kasser, L. Walker, and A. Houser. It is in the publication entitled INSIGHT on the Issues, vol I26 (March 2009), a publication of the AARP Public Policy Institute. www.aarp.org/ppi

  Disability Estimates:  For Virginia (Word Format)

  Disability Fast Facts:  For the United States (Word Format)

  Community Participation and Disability (PDF Format)

  Education and Disability (PDF Format)

  Employment and Disability (PDF Format)

  Technology and Disability (PDF Format)