Me with Gus at Culver's during a recent visit to Wisconsin.
I couldn’t help but notice an article in the Chicago Tribune this past weekend called “Some parents leave Illinois to get disabled kids better services.” The story said that while there is no statistical study showing why families with disabilities might leave one state for another, anecdotal evidence suggests that many parents of children with disabilities here in the Chicago area plan to leave — or have already left — because of the lack of funding for human services here. The writers interviewed many Illinois parents, including the suburban mother of a teenager named Tim who struggles with various cognitive disorders.
Last year, a residential school in Quincy in western Illinois discharged emotionally disturbed students with Individual Care Grants because the state had not paid their bills. Rather than allow Tim to suffer a similar fate, the family is prepared to leave Barrington and establish residency in Wisconsin, where the pockets are perceived as deeper.
Deeper pockets in Wisconsin, and, coincidentally, less political corruption, too. Some people in Illinois joke about the corruption here, but it really isn’t funny. Corruption wastes resources and skews priorities. Despite Wisconsin’s battered economy, the state allocates more resources than Illinois does to people like our son Gus. The Tribune story reported that United Cerebral Palsy ranks Illinois 48th out of 50 for providing services, and the University of Colorado’s Coleman Institute of Cognitive Disorders puts Illinois near the bottom for funding autism spectrum disorders. The National Alliance on Mental Illness gives Illinois a “D.”
It’s been this way for a long, long time — in good economic times and bad. So when it came time for Gus to move away back in 2002, Mike and I felt extremely fortunate and grateful to find Gus a home in a facility hours away in Wisconsin, run by Bethesda Lutheran Communities, Inc. We would rather have Gus live closer to home, you know, drop by whenever we feel like it, take him out for ice cream, bring him home to visit now and then. Just like the families in this Tribune story, though, we feel more confident about services in Wisconsin, and we often talk about relocating their ourselves.
You can find out how your state is doing byvisiting the University of Colorado’s State of the the States in Developmental Disabilities project Web site. Mike and I found the information there extremely helpful when choosing a new home for Gus.
48th out of 50? I had no idea Illinois ranked that low.
It seems like fate that Gus should be living in a wonderful home named “BETHesda”.
You know, i never thought of the “Beth” connection like that! When it comes down to it, I really think I have our dad and his strict mother to thank — in many ways it is thanks to her that weare all connected to the wonderful Bethesda Lutheran organization Gus is a part of now.
Beth – SHHHHH. . .don’t say this too loud or Scott Walker might find out – he’d put a stop to that tout suite!
Miss you – hope all is well
I know it will sound wierd, but I actually was hesitant to publish this particular post for that reason, but then I came to my senses — I don’t think Gov. Walker subscribes to my blog! He’s much more likely to have seen the article in the Chicago Tribune, just like I did. I wanted to publish this post here, though, to make any Illinois residents who read my blog aware of how poorly our relatively wealthy state ranks when it comes to taking care of people who need help.
Thank goodness you were able to find excellent services for Gus. It’s a shame he is hours away, however, the fact that he is well cared for makes up for that. I looked up NJ and we spend $1.56 billion….I don’t think it’s due to lack of politics and/or corruption in this state! I do believe, we have a high population of special needs individuals.
But surely NJ doesn’t have a higher percentage of citizens with special needs than Illinois does? Or even if NJ does, sounds to me like NJ puts more effort into serving that population, which is one more thing you New Jerseyans (or is that Jersians?!) can be proud of.
Thanks for sharing Beth! In these hard economic times, I really need to evaluate which States I would have the best chance of getting a job in. I don’t want to spend years getting my PhD in Clinical Psychology, then settle down in a State where mental health is not high on the list of priorities.
Kate brings up another very good point — I think states like Wisconsin and Minnesota that rank higher in human services attract well-meaning and well-educated people to their states, and in the end isn’t that good for the economy? I do not have scientific evidence of this but in my visits to Wisconsin and Minnesota schools I notice an overall value of education amongst students, teachers, parents, staff. Have especially noticed this in recent visits to Wisconsin, lots of people I meet up there are disappointed with their governor, they are standing up for their teachers.
Whatever state you decide to live in will be fortunate to have you as a resident, Kate.
Beth,
I am glad to hear about Gus. After reading ‘Long Time no See’ a while back I had wondered what happened to him since then and was hesitant to ask. How wonderful to see his picture too…
Yes, WI politics are cleaner, even though I was upset to learn how the opposition got rid of Senator Feingold (info from a newsletter called ‘Hightower Lowdown,’ which is generally well informed). But we also spend a lot of time in WI, mostly Madison and love it.
Could it be we met at the Printer’s Roy Book fair? Or did you read at a little boutique on Wabash, called ‘The Laughing Iguana?’I am not sure, but it was one of these two places.
Have a great weekend,
Annelore
Annelore, thanks for your good wishes about Gus. I need to remember to tell folks he is still doing well — every semester a class of students from DePaul University come to visit me in our apartment after having read “Long Time, No See” and I’ve learned to start off my presentation by telling them that Gus is still alive and living in a group home. They are curious about Gus but like you, they, too, are afraid to ask. We’ll see Gus this Saturday, looking forward to that. Thanks for the good wishes –
Annelore, thanks for your good wishes about Gus. I need to remember to tell folks he is still doing well — every semester a class of students from DePaul University come to visit me in our apartment after having read “Long Time, No See” and I’ve learned to start off my presentation by telling them that Gus is still alive and living in a group home. They are curious about Gus but like you, they, too, are afraid to ask.
And yes, the Feingold loss was hard to take. I think things will turn around in the next WI election.
And I bet you we met at the Laughing Iguana, in fact, now that you mention it I think I remember meeting you there –the weather was *terrible* that night if you remember that, a bad ice storm? Wherever we met, I’m glad we did, thanks for the good wishes.
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