New York State wants to save money for its taxpayers. A laudable desire, but not at the expense of its most vulnerable citizens.
In an Op-Ed for the New York Daily News, Dr. Mitchell Shear and Marcia Shear write about their daughter Samantha, a student at JRC. Her progress from a “bloodied and bruised 80-pound girl once forced to wear arm splints, a neck brace, and helmet” to a happy, smiling, and sunny young woman, is credited by the Shears to the success of Sammy’s program at JRC.
But now the state’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities has decided people like Samantha Shear who are served at out-of-state facilities must be returned to New York. They claim this will save the state money, but this decision doesn’t take into consideration the needs of the severely disabled person herself.
Read more about the Shears’ struggle to keep Samantha at JRC in the environment that serves her well.