Two minutes of your day is all we need to ensure the well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and that the supports they rely on aren’t overlooked during the COVID-19 outbreak.   

What to do: Use this email tool to remind Congress that I/DD supports and services are essential lifelines to people with I/DD and their families. 

The Details: Congress is working at breakneck speed to address the unique needs of various populations in our country through three different funding packages, one of which is expected to be focused on health care.We need your voice right now to ask Congress to include I/DD supports, including Home and Community Based Services, in that package.   

The I/DD workforce is already in crisis. These staffing shortages will be significantly exacerbated as Direct Service Providers (DSPs) fall sick or have to tend to loved ones. This is the time for Congress to work on strengthening disability supports through funding for key provisions such as overtime and hazard pay to incentivize DSPs to stay and other workers to join the field.

Most importantly, we need Congress to include I/DD services in any stimulus package to ensure there are supports to return to once the current pandemic subsides. With 700,000 people on states’ waiting lists for services, now is not the time to lose critical capacity.   

Please speak up TODAY for the inclusion of disability supports in any package Congress prepares to address COVID-19 today, to help ensure people with disabilities have the support they need, when they need it the most. 

Thank you for your support and advocacy,

Joseph Cooper, 
Chief Executive Officer