Disability Policy Seminar 2022

Our advocacy for issues related to intellectual and developmental disabilities continues to move forward on the state and national level.  We started the year off with the North Carolina General Assembly approving a bill requiring the state to pay many of our direct support professionals (DSPs) a bonus estimated at $2,000.

In late March, a team from The Arc of North Carolina, North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, and self-advocates from across the state attended the Disability Policy Seminar in Washington, DC. Many sessions included information on education, criminal justice, affordable housing, and voting. This was the first in-person event that many of us attended in two years and we could not have been more excited! It was fantastic to see old friends and make new ones.

While we made time for some fun, our group worked hard to get to several meetings on Capitol Hill. There were 8 meetings scheduled with North Carolina representatives and both US senators. We spoke with staffers about many of the same issues presented at the seminar and made it clear that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a strong voice and presence.

One of the bills currently being discussed in the US House of Representatives is House Bill 4776, Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act. Many people with IDD rely on DSPs to help them with daily tasks to help them live full lives. This bill is crucial in helping build and sustain the workforce of DSPs.

Right now, North Carolina has a high rate of turnover in this field. Data for North Carolina DSPs from PHI (www.phinational.org) states 92% of DSPs are women, 44% are accessing some form of public assistance, 32% lack affordable housing, and 41% have some college, but no degree. House Bill 4779 will help establish the DSP as a standard role which will help us give DSPs a better path to a career.

Many of the representatives we met with on Capitol Hill support this bill and some have signed on as co-sponsors. The Arc of North Carolina sent a letter of support for House Bill 4779 to all North Carolina representatives in Congress.

2022 is proving to be a very busy year with a lot of advocacy work coming in the next several months. Stay tuned to learn more about the issues The Arc of North Carolina is advocating for and how you can help.