To read ABCD’s testimony click on ABCD Senate Budget Testimony FY13.

ABCD’s testimony focuses on the rights of individuals to live in the community in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.  The testimony also highlights thirty years of research that demonstrates there is a benefit to adaptive behavior (daily living skills) and challenging behaviors of individuals with developmental disabilities moving to community settings from institutions.

To read ABCD’s testimony click on  Testimony to Joint Hearing on Closure of Vineland Developmental Center.  We also have appended our recent Policy synthesis on deinstitutionalization research.

Assertions have been made that people obtain greater or even equal benefits in adaptive behavior (daily living skills) from living in institutions.  The Policy Synthesis explains that thirty years of research demonstrates a benefit to the adaptive behavior and challenging behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities moving to community settings from institutions.

ABCD’s Policy Synthesis is a synopsis of the University’s Research and Training Center on Community Living’s  update of earlier reviews of research studies from 1977 to 1999 of changes  in adaptive and challenging behaviors by examining studies conducted from 2000-2010.

ABCD urges that policymakers and interested members of the  public read the Policy synthesis on deinstitutionalization research to better understand the research which provides strong evidence that people who move from institutions to community settings have experiences that help them improve their adaptive behavior skills.

In addition, ABCD responded to an April 21st Star Ledger article where a lawmaker urged  Governor Christie to halt the plans to close Vineland Developmental Center until a Legislative Review Panel has studied the impact on the residents.

ABCD’s letter to the editor, which was published the very next day, April 22nd,  focuses on the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities to live in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. Here is a link to the  letter to editor on Closing Vineland DC.

ABCD developed the following Fact Sheets which can be used by all advocates during the FY’12 Budget discussions:

1) Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) Fact Sheet: which explains why it is important to support the closure of Vineland Developmental Center and to support the other proposals in the Governor’s Budget for  DDD (See below for more information about the closure of Vineland Developmental Center) ;

2) Medicaid Co-pays Fact Sheet: which explains why the two proposals for Medicaid co-pays (medical day care and elimination of the payment of Medicare Part D co-payments for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid) needs to be stricken from the budget; and

3) Medicaid Restructuring Fact Sheet: which discusses the proposed Comprehensive Waiver and also explains why ABCD is supportive of Medicaid managed care for people with developmental disabilities.

We also ask you to go to the website Close Vineland Developmental Center.  This website is an initiative of the majority of the developmental disabilities community in New Jerseyy aimed at educating the New Jersey Legislature, the media, and the general public about the proposed closure and the benefits of providing inclusive, community-based services to people with developmental disabilities in lieu of large congregate residential facilities.

Please feel free to all of this material when meeting with Legislators and other policy-makers, including the media.