Don’t forget disabled

Budget negotiations in the Washington Legislature are stalled over disagreements about revenue needed to fund budget priorities. Many vital programs hang in the balance.

The number of infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities has increased by 58 percent since 2006, while funding for early intervention services has increased only 18 percent. Studies show that these services are cost-effective and save taxpayers money. Over one-third of the children that access early intervention therapies reach their developmental milestones and no longer need ongoing support later in school. That’s an amazing return on investment.

Increased funding to keep programs on pace with the increase in children utilizing the services was in the governor’s and House budgets, but not in the Senate. This comes at a time when Washington slipped from 38th in the nation to 45th in providing fiscal effort for people with developmental disabilities. We need to do better.

It is human to hope, when times are lean, that we can meet needs without additional revenue. These are not lean times. Washington has rebounded exponentially from the dark days of 2008, yet more and more children need help. Please don’t leave infants and toddlers behind in the final budget negotiations.

Darci Ladwig

Spokane Valley