Ensure ALL Children of ALL Ages/ Disability Get ESSENTIAL Disability Caregiving Services
Ensure ALL Children of ALL Ages/ Disability Get ESSENTIAL Disability Caregiving Services
The Issue
Working as a special needs educator and caregiver in Chandler, AZ, I've witnessed firsthand the struggles faced by many families of children with disabilities. Every child, regardless of age, deserves access to VITAL disability services including Attendant, Habilitation, and Respite care services. Yet, many of my young clients are seeing these essential services stripped away simply because of their AGE or DISABILITY due to a biased assessment tool. This is from the recent House Bill 2945 being put into effect Oct.1, 2025.
It's disheartening that there is age-based or disability deselection from a biased assessment tool put in place by poor government decision making. Just because there are too many people needing services and not enough state funds, does not mean we should remove those ESSENTIAL Disability services! This means there is a higher demand and a smaller money supply. In the case of business, when something is in demand, the store relocates efforts/ money to get the supply to meet the customer demand. Therefore, we should look at what are NOT essential services or departments and rellocate funds to meet the demands of the PRIORITY disability caregiving services. We also need to remove the biased assessment tool that is limiting the type of services and amount of hours each child and family receives because it's being DISCRIMINTORY based on a child's AGE and DISABILITY. We should not be limiting services based on what we think a child can or can't do because of their age or disability (category). That is straight up putting them in a box with limits and that is called DISCRIMINATION, which needs to stop now!
Disability services are not luxuries but they are necessities that provide support, development, and quality of life improvements to children and their families. Attendant services offer CRITICAL physical assistance and care, ensuring children with limiting disabilities, who are often wheelchair bound, can participate in daily activities. Habilitation services are CRUCIAL for fostering skills and independence, enabling all children to reach their fullest potential as they grow and mature into adulthood. Respite care services are ESSENTIAL for families to get the respite / break they desperately need when working 24/7 with special needs children. This temporary relief for primary caregivers is provided by having another experienced and trained caring person care for their loved one for a short period of time. Respite care gives the primary caregiver (parents and/or guardians) to take a break and prevent burnout of their own energy in order for them to continue in caring for their special needs children in the future.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2024, approximately 48,167 children with margin of error being 3,722 (so possibly 51,889) under 18 have at least one disabily in need of services. For these children, access to consistent services is not only VITAL for their physical and academic development but also instrumental for their mental and emotional well-being. They NEED services outside of school based services to keep up and they need MORE Home care services available to continue their VITAL learning processes. Removing services based on AGE or DISABILITIES, DISREGARDS their ongoing needs and progress. Taking away caregiving services, including attendant and habilitation care, also PREVENTS and LIMITS their growth into independent adults.
The reduction of services DIRECTLY impacts families who already face numerous challenges. Parents and caregivers end up overwhelmed and unable to shoulder the burden of care without adequate support. Therapists including OT, PT, and Speech lose clients who need more services outside of school based services. This strain can lead to decreased educational and social opportunities for special needs children, further marginalizing them within our community. Then they will become adults FOREVER dependent on adult care instead of becoming independent adults who can work and care for themselves in the areas they can.
We urge the local government officials in AZ to reconsider the policies that allow the increase of VITAL disability services for ALL special needs children, instead of the reduction of those services based solely on the AGE or DISABILITY of the child. Demonstrating a commitment to inclusive and equitable support for ALL children, regardless of AGE or DISABILITY, is paramount!
Join us in advocating for a policy change that ensures ALL children in AZ receive the necessary disability services, including ESSENTIAL Disability care services, without DISCRIMINATION. Sign this petition to demand that our local government commits to supporting EVERY child, so they can grow and thrive on EQUAL grounds. Thank you!
Source: House Bill 2945
Source: Biased Assessment Tool
Biased Tool LIMITS Disability Caregiving Hours and Services
Source: Attendant Care- Advanced Developmental Disabilities Services
Source: Habilitation Services
Source: Respite Care Services
Source: FOX10 News https://share.google/ejbCfhEEDstwEolY5
Source: 12News https://share.google/nTtIyoGppTBo5CWO7
Source: ABC15 Arizona
Source: AZ Map of Disability Data
Source: US 2024 Census Survey
89
The Issue
Working as a special needs educator and caregiver in Chandler, AZ, I've witnessed firsthand the struggles faced by many families of children with disabilities. Every child, regardless of age, deserves access to VITAL disability services including Attendant, Habilitation, and Respite care services. Yet, many of my young clients are seeing these essential services stripped away simply because of their AGE or DISABILITY due to a biased assessment tool. This is from the recent House Bill 2945 being put into effect Oct.1, 2025.
It's disheartening that there is age-based or disability deselection from a biased assessment tool put in place by poor government decision making. Just because there are too many people needing services and not enough state funds, does not mean we should remove those ESSENTIAL Disability services! This means there is a higher demand and a smaller money supply. In the case of business, when something is in demand, the store relocates efforts/ money to get the supply to meet the customer demand. Therefore, we should look at what are NOT essential services or departments and rellocate funds to meet the demands of the PRIORITY disability caregiving services. We also need to remove the biased assessment tool that is limiting the type of services and amount of hours each child and family receives because it's being DISCRIMINTORY based on a child's AGE and DISABILITY. We should not be limiting services based on what we think a child can or can't do because of their age or disability (category). That is straight up putting them in a box with limits and that is called DISCRIMINATION, which needs to stop now!
Disability services are not luxuries but they are necessities that provide support, development, and quality of life improvements to children and their families. Attendant services offer CRITICAL physical assistance and care, ensuring children with limiting disabilities, who are often wheelchair bound, can participate in daily activities. Habilitation services are CRUCIAL for fostering skills and independence, enabling all children to reach their fullest potential as they grow and mature into adulthood. Respite care services are ESSENTIAL for families to get the respite / break they desperately need when working 24/7 with special needs children. This temporary relief for primary caregivers is provided by having another experienced and trained caring person care for their loved one for a short period of time. Respite care gives the primary caregiver (parents and/or guardians) to take a break and prevent burnout of their own energy in order for them to continue in caring for their special needs children in the future.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2024, approximately 48,167 children with margin of error being 3,722 (so possibly 51,889) under 18 have at least one disabily in need of services. For these children, access to consistent services is not only VITAL for their physical and academic development but also instrumental for their mental and emotional well-being. They NEED services outside of school based services to keep up and they need MORE Home care services available to continue their VITAL learning processes. Removing services based on AGE or DISABILITIES, DISREGARDS their ongoing needs and progress. Taking away caregiving services, including attendant and habilitation care, also PREVENTS and LIMITS their growth into independent adults.
The reduction of services DIRECTLY impacts families who already face numerous challenges. Parents and caregivers end up overwhelmed and unable to shoulder the burden of care without adequate support. Therapists including OT, PT, and Speech lose clients who need more services outside of school based services. This strain can lead to decreased educational and social opportunities for special needs children, further marginalizing them within our community. Then they will become adults FOREVER dependent on adult care instead of becoming independent adults who can work and care for themselves in the areas they can.
We urge the local government officials in AZ to reconsider the policies that allow the increase of VITAL disability services for ALL special needs children, instead of the reduction of those services based solely on the AGE or DISABILITY of the child. Demonstrating a commitment to inclusive and equitable support for ALL children, regardless of AGE or DISABILITY, is paramount!
Join us in advocating for a policy change that ensures ALL children in AZ receive the necessary disability services, including ESSENTIAL Disability care services, without DISCRIMINATION. Sign this petition to demand that our local government commits to supporting EVERY child, so they can grow and thrive on EQUAL grounds. Thank you!
Source: House Bill 2945
Source: Biased Assessment Tool
Biased Tool LIMITS Disability Caregiving Hours and Services
Source: Attendant Care- Advanced Developmental Disabilities Services
Source: Habilitation Services
Source: Respite Care Services
Source: FOX10 News https://share.google/ejbCfhEEDstwEolY5
Source: 12News https://share.google/nTtIyoGppTBo5CWO7
Source: ABC15 Arizona
Source: AZ Map of Disability Data
Source: US 2024 Census Survey
89
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on September 27, 2025