We, the undersigned, are citizens and representatives of organizations concerned with adults and children with disabilities, elderly persons, and family caregivers in New York State. We join together to support a statement of common principles regarding people who require support to live successfully in the community.
Whereas:
Public policy should support the fullest possible independence, inclusion, and participation in the community for adults and children with disabilities and elderly persons.
Public policy should respect and support the important role that family members can play in assisting many adults and children with disabilities and elderly persons to live decent lives in their homes or with their families.
and Whereas:
The federal, state, and county Medicaid program is a major source of funding for long-term supports for people with disabilities and elderly persons.
Therefore:
We call upon all elected and appointed federal, state, and county officials to take all necessary steps to assure that public programs, and especially Medicaid, promote the rights and welfare of people with disabilities and elderly persons. Specifically, we call upon public officials to support the following principles:
Adults and children with disabilities and elderly persons, along with family caregivers, must be offered a meaningful choice between in-home community supports and out-of-home placement.
Public programs, and especially Medicaid, must provide, at the minimum, the same level of funding to support adults and children with disabilities and elderly persons in their homes in the community as they provide to maintain people in nursing homes and other institutions.
Among the options available to adults with disabilities and caregivers of young children, adults with severe cognitive disabilities, and elderly persons must be the opportunity to control funding to hire and supervise their own supports and services.
Endorsements of “A Statement of Common Principles on Home and Community Supports for Elderly Persons and People with Disabilities”
Updated June 8, 1999
- Access to Independence of Cortland County, Inc.
- Advocacy Board
- The Alliance
- American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Chapter 243
- ARISE
- Arthritis Foundation of CNY
- Catholic Charities Elderly Services
- Center on Human Policy
- CNY Chapter of the New York American Civil Liberties Union
- Consumer Advocacy Committee
- Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Center of CNY
- Early Childhood Direction Center (Syracuse)
- ENABLE
- Exceptional Family Resources
- Familycapped
- Independent Living Services
- Invested Family Services, Inc.
- Kirkpatrick Caregivers Support Group (for Alzheimer’s Association of CNY)
- L’Arche Syracuse
- Liberty Resources, Inc.
- NYS Association of Self-Directed Personal Assistance Programs
- NYS Independent Living Council, Inc.
- NYS Self-Advocacy Association
- North Country Self-Advocates
- Office for Persons with Disabilities, Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
- Onondaga Council on the Disabled
- Person to Person: Citizen Advocacy Association, Inc.
- Public Interest Law Firm, College of Law, Syracuse University
- Respect Life Office, Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
- Self-Advocates of Central New York
- Spaulding P.R.A.Y. Residence Corporation
- Syracuse Disabled in Action
- Transitional Living Services
If your organization is interested in endorsing this statement, send an Email message with your organization name and address and place “COMMON PRINCIPLES ENDORSEMENT” in the subject line.