OPSEU puts focus on funding gap for people with disabilities

'To many of us, people with developmental disabilities are invisible.' - Leah Casselman

Toronto (8 March 2007) - The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) has launched a TV and radio advertising campaign highlighting the crisis in services for people with developmental disabilities.

More than a decade of cuts and under-funding has left agencies unable to provide the level of care they once could. At the same time, more than 6,000 people are on waiting lists for services, and 1,600 more are kept in wards of long-term care facilities without the specialized services they need.

"To many of us, people with developmental disabilities are invisible," says OPSEU President Leah Casselman. "As a result, the Ontario government has been able to get away with under-funding critical support services. This ad campaign is aimed at changing that," she says.

"Having a developmental disability doesn't limit someone from living a fulfilling life," adds Sue Walker, a Developmental Services Worker and chair of the OPSEU Developmental Services Sector. "We work with people with a range of disabilities and help them to fulfill their potential."

According to the agencies providing supports, one of the biggest problems is an inability to pay competitive wages, argues Casselman. "Developmental service workers earn 25% to 30% less than employees in comparable jobs. That's why these agencies can't attract and retain enough qualified staff to provide the level of support people with developmental disabilities need."

A report prepared by Community Living Ontario, Ontario Agencies Supporting Individuals with Special Needs (OASIS) and other developmental service organizations says the government needs to invest $253 million in new ongoing funding to begin to address the service crisis.

"Clearly, as our ads say, Ontario can do better," says Casselman. "If you knew the people our members support, you'd know they deserve better." NUPGE