Testimony for January 8 and 10^th, 2009Alaska, Hawaii,  Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Washington D.C.  and in  April 2008 Fort Wayne, Indiana closed the doors of its last state funded institution… Other states are taking steps to close their institutions.  Massachusetts announced the closure of four more institutions this year… Closing institutions means a change in the way we support people with disabilities.  Change can be scary - for you, for me, for parents, for all of us.  But the only thing we have to fear is fear itself when we are doing the right thing together.   

• Together we can plan.
• Together we can learn.
• Together we can work to create “Community for All.”

 Virginia is one of the remaining 10 States who have not closed at least one state operated institution—five of these states only have one institution. 

• It is time for Virginia to support people in the community.
• It is time for Virginia to wake up and understand that all people want “A Life Like Yours.”
• It is time for Virginia to stop FUNDING institutions.

 We have the right technology and the right funding streams to make this work…now we need the right approach and policies… If all those other states can do it then Virginia can and should do it too– with the right attitude—We want Community for ALL!   

Passion behind the speech is not mine alone. As a self advocate leader I work with others who have abilities, young and old to build a Life Like Yours in the community. These are difficult times and tough decisions have to be made… but one thing is for sure many self advocates and parents don’t want to go back to the days where people with disabilties were hidden away at home or in large institutions. Lets face it, the last 30 years people with disabilites have been going to school and growing up side by side there families and friends who don’t have disabilities. So why would we think that  being an adult with a disability should be any different.

Unfortunately Virginia is one of 10 states that hasn’t close down any institutions. That means self advocates live in these institutions and it become a place they call home. When we talk about closing down institutions it can sound like we are taking these men and women homes away. No, we don’t want to take there homes away we want to give them a chance to have there own bedroom with the right supports in place regardless of there ability. This is scary for everyone but like I said in my speech together we can make it work,