Through my 16 years of work supporting families of children with autism and developmental disabilities, I have seen firsthand how difficult it is for parents to access services their children urgently need. Families spend years on waiting lists while critical developmental time is lost. I am starting this petition to advocate for families navigating a system that is unnecessarily complex, underfunded, and slow to respond to real needs.

In Florida — and across the United States — disability waiver waitlists are preventing families from receiving essential support. These waivers provide funding for therapies, equipment, caregiving, and other services that can dramatically improve outcomes for children with autism and developmental disabilities. Yet many families wait years for access to programs intended to provide early intervention.

According to the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, more than 20,000 individuals remain on the waiting list for Medicaid waiver services in Florida alone. This number reflects a broader systemic failure to deliver timely assistance to families who need help now — not years from now.

These delays have lasting consequences. Early childhood intervention is critical to supporting communication, behavior, education, and long-term independence. When families must wait years for services, children lose irreplaceable developmental opportunities.

We call on Florida state leaders to take immediate action by:

• Increasing funding for disability waiver programs
• Reducing excessive waitlists
• Simplifying administrative and eligibility processes
• Ensuring funding levels reflect each child’s individual needs

Florida should also examine elements of waiver systems in other states, including models such as the COMP/NOW Waiver Program in Georgia, which offer more flexible, individualized funding once families are approved. However, even in states with comparatively stronger programs, waitlists remain lengthy and access is still too slow to meet the urgent developmental needs of children.  Across the country, no system currently provides timely enough access to fully meet demand.

Families of children with disabilities should not have to struggle through years of uncertainty to obtain medically and developmental care.

 By signing this petition, you are standing with families seeking timely access to life-changing services and meaningful reform to a system that must work better for those it serves.