Our November Waiting List Story and a Message for You and our Legislators.
“We know we are facing some harsh budget realities in the 2017 session.
The needs will be greater than there is to give, but this makes it a more critical time than ever to look at supporting the individuals with developmental disabilities who are waiting for Disability Waivers.
Some have already waited for decades of their lives, with no help.
In 2016 our legislators wisely invested in a redesign of the Disability Waivers. In 2017, we ask our legislators to ensure that investment stays sound. When we fund very few Waivers, they go exclusively to people in very active crisis, those who have had parents die, who have no home, who are in grave danger. This forces people into crisis to get help, drives up the cost of services, and leaves thousands of people in desperation.”
November Waiting List Story
We invite you to meet Nicholas this month. 
His is a story of a family who was driven to the brink before a Waiver came into his life. I hope you enjoy hearing about all they have achieved with his Waiver as much as I do. He is a joy to know, as is his family. His story is such a testament to the investment of a Waiver in our community, and the financial and social returns we see as a result. Read Nicholas’s Story.
There are a mere 350 Waivers available for people on the waiting list in 2017 out of a waiting list climbing north of 11,000. Let’s avoid being penny wise, but pound foolish. Fund the services that keep Virginia from needing expensive crisis and institutional supports, and instead build “A Life Like Yours” for all.
~ Lucy Beadnell, Director of Advocacy, The Arc of Northern Virginia