Commentary by Elizabeth Martin, Albany Times Union 3/7/2024
For decades, our society relegated people with disabilities to institutions, then looked away as abuse and neglect ran rampant. Those dark days were exemplified in the horrors at Willowbrook State School on Staten Island: overcrowding, filthy living conditions, physical and sexual abuse, and unethical medical experimentation. It took a Geraldo Rivera television exposé in 1972 — “Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace” — to force us to acknowledge the inhumanity that results when we devalue people with disabilities.
Multiple factors led to the conditions at Willowbrook and other institutions. Two of those factors were chronic underfunding and understaffing. While much progress has been made since those days, New York faces an impending human rights crisis for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — and once again, underfunding and understaffing are to blame.
Direct-support professionals play an essential role for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives. While direct-support professionals never got rich off their earnings, there was once a time when they earned closer to a living wage, and average staff vacancy rates were much lower than they are today. But wages endured years of stagnation, and without cost-of-living adjustments, the profession is on the brink.
Starting pay is now just barely above the minimum wage. Average turnover rates for nonprofit direct-support professionals in the Capital Region is just over 36%, and the average staff vacancy rate is alarmingly close to 20%.
The consequences of this workforce shortage are incredibly dire. Not only is it leading to program closures, it leaves individuals confined to isolation and impedes their access to medical care — hindering both their quality of care and their quality of life.
This chronic underfunding and understaffing not only devalues direct-support professionals’ labor, it devalues — by extension — the lives of those they serve.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s initial efforts in 2022 to reverse years of cuts and disinvestment showed promise, with Medicaid rate adjustments and COVID relief bonuses for direct-support professionals. We were beginning to see some small improvements in staff turnover and retention rates. However, subsequent budget proposals have failed to keep pace with inflation or provide additional support for these valuable workers. Any small improvements we may have started to see appear to be regressing.
The continued funding inadequacy undermines the governor’s commitment to vulnerable New Yorkers. To safeguard the rights and dignity of individuals with disabilities, meaningful action is imperative.
A provider rate adjustment commensurate with last year’s inflation rate of 3.2%, coupled with funding for direct-support wage enhancement, will help us attract and retain qualified direct-support professionals. Gov. Hochul’s administration must honor our society’s collective duty and invest in the well-being of New York’s disabled community.
Elizabeth Martin is chief executive officer of Living Resources, an Albany nonprofit serving people with disabilities.
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