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Show Traimmg School comcemedl with f Medieg roncern about the possible loss of put all our eggs in one basket ht mp ..' .... .... .... . . , nrprn about the possible loss of j ral funding for the Utah State ' nc School - and other such KKns around the United ,1 - was expressed by speakers the semi-annual conference of the tal Retardation Association of ph (MBAU) held at the training bussing proposed federal Jslation which would transfer all 1 al Title XIX funding for state dilutions to small community Hential facilities and closing the Sutions, Elaine S.Sharp, MRAU Srtcutive Director, said advocacy Jrnups for tne retarded need t0 Ck together to achieve a com-mico com-mico in promotion of the bill. Pk V Ur eggs in one basket but should work together to see that we can best serve the needs of our children," she said. (The National Developmental Disabilities Council is supporting the legislation.) 6 Leonard W. Lavis, training school superintendent, urged the various advocacy groups for the retarded get together on their position and avoid "becoming a house dividied." "We must all meet together with an open mind, and seek for a middle group position which will best serve the needs of the retarded," Mr Lavis said. . Ernest Dean, a member of the MRAU board of directors from American Fork, joined the others in urging association members to write their federal and state legislators as well as the governor, letting their views be made known. The bill, Mrs. Sharp said, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 4, and was instigated by the National Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC-US) at their 1982 national convention when they adopted a resolution stating that "all people, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, are entitled to community living." Norman Angus, Executive Director of the. Stale Department of Social Services, said the state doesn't have the means to pick up the funding now being provided by federal Title XIX monies but he believes the issue can and will be resolved. "Many changes have taken place on the training school campus in better serving the retarded that may not have taken place if we hadn't been faced with crisis in the past," he said. The construction on the campus to provide new cottages for the residents to reside in came about because "of the concern of people" and the need to meet federal funding fun-ding criteria. "If we work together to best serve the needs of the retarded, we can survive," Mr. Angus said. He said he doesn't want this bill to unite the parents of the individuals who want institutionalization against those who want community facilities. "We can't afford to have this happen," he said. 'What will happen in the future because of the bill is up to us and how we approach it," he said. On a hopeful note, Mr. Angus stated after Governor Scott M. Malheson spent about six hours on the training school campus last week, he went back and wrote in the proposed 1985 budget the salary class raises recommended about two years ago after a wage study i and never implemented. The study would have given about 460 employees em-ployees wage class raises. ' He said the budget, however, is j going to be tight will all areas of ', services asking for increases. "You ' can rest assured however that the training school does place an important im-portant part in the Department of '. Social Services program." ; The conference included a ' business meeting, lunch in each individual residential cottage and in i the administration building for parents and staff, and tours of the j training school. !Both types of services are jeded," Mrs. Sharp said. "We wngly suPPrt tne exPansion and Movement of community based -sidences. However, we do not feel T is necessary to develop community com-munity services at the expense of Ihe institution." Mrs Sharp said MRAU believes ta (,e' "balanced approach" - that auality programs are necessary in iJoth community and institutional settings to serve the different, and varying needs of the mentally retarded population. A continum of services to meet individual needs must be available, and the parents of the retarded and Ihe retarded themselves, if possible, should have the right to a choice of programs," she continued. MRAU has passed a resolution to this effect, Mrs. Sharp said, emphasizing em-phasizing the association is not against the conception of the development of community programs - as is evidenced by the many group homes they sponsor -only against Senate Bill 2053 (Community and Family Living Amendments of 1983) as it is now written. She said the association believes each state should have the opportunity op-portunity to address the needs of its retarded citizens within the context of its own service delivery capabilities, rather than have the federal government tell them what has to be done. The training school receives the major part of its budget through Title XIX funding. Mary Paulsen, a member of the Association of Retarded Citizens of Utah and of the Developmental Disabilities Council, said during a question-and-answer period that she is in favor of the expansion of community resources, but believes "we have to be very careful to see if n can make it (the proposed legislation) serve all the needs of the retarded and to provide a continuum of services. We shouldn't |
