2025 Advocacy Days

https://arcwa.org/advocacy/advocacy-days/

Advocacy Days, part of The Arc’s Advocacy Partnership Project, are held during each legislative session to involve individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), their families and their service providers in the legislative process, giving them opportunities to make their voices heard by their legislators and to have an impact on policy and budget legislation that affects the services and supports available to them.

Download the flyer with registration links here.

In 2025 we will offer a mixture of opportunities for people to participate.  All Advocacy Days begin at 10:00 am.- 11:30 am. 

On January 15th, there will be a live Advocacy Day, the program begins at 10:00 am at United Churches in Olympia. The morning program will be live streamed. All other Advocacy Days will be virtual to make the meetings more accessible to people all around the state.

 

WSPC Legislative Priorities 2025

 

Washington State Parent and Family Legislative Priorities

 

Washington Statewide Parent Coalitions collectively agree to prioritize and support families and individuals with IDD to share their needs for access and inclusion in the

   following legislative areas of concern:

 

• Individuals with IDD and their families need dependable, well-trained, well-paid, and culturally-competent providers in all areas of service: personal care, nursing, childcare, medical, mental and behavioral health care, and DDA Home and Community Based Waiver Services. Providers are especially needed in rural or lower-population areas where services are difficult to access or non-existent. Due to the provider workforce crisis and the shortage of nursing care, parents of medically and/or behaviorally complex minor children are often forced out of employment to assume full-time caregiving duties. These parents should be compensated for their caregiving labor.

 

• Individuals with IDD have a right to fully access their community each day with appropriate support. Individuals with high support needs should not be excluded from participating in activities, work, or play because of unmet personal care or behavioral support needs. All people with IDD, both children and adults, deserve to have meaningful, engaging, and flexible opportunities to spend time with disabled and non-disabled peers of their choosing. DDA must invest in developing a greater variety of supportive Day Services.

 

• Individuals with IDD and their families need affordable and accessible housing with appropriate, adequate, and culturally-competent support. Adults with IDD who still reside with aging parent caregivers should be prioritized for DDA residential services of their choosing, such as Supported Living and SOLAs.

 

• Individuals with IDD have a right to physical and emotional safety in schools. More work must be done to eliminate restraint and isolation in public education. Efforts must continue to promote inclusive education and to remove the funding cap on special education so all students with IDD have access to appropriate support and resources. School transition services for individuals over 18 should be further developed to offer additional skills training, earlier job support, and pathways to continued learning post-transition.

 

• Individuals with IDD and their families need a simpler way to apply for, access, and keep track of waiver services. Information and assessments should be provided in the individual’s and family’s chosen language with culturally-competent evaluation tools and resources. DDA information should be explained in plain language and offered in multiple accessible formats.  

 

• Individuals with IDD who need DDA waiver services should be entitled to DDA waiver services.

2024 Legislative Session summary - from the Arc of WA

March 26, 2024

A Supplemental Session with Lasting Impact

The halls of Olympia are quiet now, free from the usual hustle and bustle of advocates and lobbyists. Legislators have returned home to their districts, while the Governor is busy signing or vetoing budgets and bills, meanwhile, advocates are already strategizing for the next session. Despite being a supplemental session, there was significant activity with lasting effects. Typically, these sessions focus on policy adjustments and budget tweaks, but this time, there were some notable exceptions. Here are the highlights:

Housing

This biennium witnessed a historic investment in DD Housing. A December 2022 report by DDA projected a need for 37,000 units for people with I/DD, and a recent national report, "Priced Out," highlighted the unaffordability of housing for individuals on SSI across the US. Thanks to powerful advocacy and compelling stories, legislators allocated $25 million in the supplemental budget for DD Housing. This includes $19 million for DD in the Housing Trust Fund, $5 million for Open Doors for Multicultural Families housing village, and $1 million for The Arc of King County’s Legacy project with Mercy Housing. This is in addition to last year's $25 million for a total of $50 million for the biennium.  This is a nearly 10-fold increase from previous biennia which ranged from $3-5 million.

Although HB 2276, The Affordable Housing Act,  which would have provided an ongoing revenue source for the Housing Trust Fund and included a 15% DD set aside housing did not pass, the bill helped to elevate the conversation about the importance and need for DD Housing. 


Operating Budget Highlights

Modest increases were made, including reducing the highest DDA case management ratio in the US. Additionally, smaller policy issues were addressed, including strengthening Parent to Parent and Informing Families and creating an overnight planned respite program in the Tri-Cities. Investments in Project Echo, Start Programs and the University of Washington Autism Center of Excellence will help to increase provider professional development, so they can better diagnose, serve, and support children with I/DD.

Although Supported Living received a $2.5 % rate increase, it still is not reflective of the recent cost study that shows a much higher increase is needed to adequately maintain the needed workforce. Supported living has a turnover rate of 57% and there are 450 people waiting to receive Supported Living services.

Employment and Community Inclusion programs did not receive any rate increases, although their cost study showed a need for a higher rate to be able to attract and retain qualified staff and to build capacity to serve individuals who are waiting to receive employment services or Community Inclusion services.  The budget did include legislative direction to do a caseload forecast of employment and community inclusion to help plan for the next budget cycle.

Education

Significant policy changes and investments were made in education, particularly in special education. Notably, SB5883, "The Burden of Proof" bill, which shifts the responsibility onto school districts when families file for due process.
The legislature enacted HB 2180 which Increases the Special Education funding Cap from 15% to 16%.  $71 million was provided for 2SSB5882  which increases “prototypical school staffing” to better meet student needs.  It is important to note that this staffing includes paraeducators.

The Early Support for Infants and Toddlers  HB1916 addresses a billing issue, ensuring that Early Support for Infants and Toddlers agencies will be paid for their work in the first month of a child's enrollment.
The legislature added 2 additional Special Education Ombuds to the Office of Education Ombuds.  Special Education cases are a high percentage of the work they do, and this should help provide relief.

Although the Restraint & Isolation bill E2SHB 1479 did not pass, there was funding for professional development and training and to create best-practice demonstration sites. In addition, there was $5 million to continue the inclusionary practices project with an emphasis on districts that have the highest percentage of students in segregated settings. Policies around restraint and isolation will be a priority for advocates for the next session.

Also of note is the inclusion expansion project to train staff in early childhood and daycares in best practices for children with I/DD who have challenging behaviors.

Policy

The Preservation of Records and Artifacts at Lakeland Village  SB6125 was a priority issue for advocates.  Funding was provided in the budget to implement 6125 so that these records will be made visible, and the hidden stories of those who lived there will not be forgotten. Future advocacy will focus on expansion to other RHCs and finding funding for the unmarked graves at Lakeland Village and other RHCs.

The “Nothing About Us Without Us”, E3SHB 1541 bill has passed and is on the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed. The advocates who worked so diligently are excited to attend the upcoming bill signing. Going forward, when workgroups or planning happens, people with lived experience, including those with disabilities will be at the table.

Legislative sessions always come with reasons to celebrate and disappointments.  There were several highly anticipated bills that died early in the session, including HB 2080, The Day Habilitation Bill and HB 2184, The Paying Parents of Minors bill.  Although they died, they generated a lot of discussion and legislators heard that families have real needs which need to be met. There was funding for a workgroup to study the issue of Day Habilitation. The conversation will continue during the off session about how these and other needs may be addressed. 
For more detailed information on the budget and bills, visit the Arc of Washington’s bill tracker.

What you can do now:

• Send legislators a thank you note/email for sponsoring or contributing to bills or budgets.
• Attend Town Halls in your local community.
• Stay informed through the Olympia Reporter and The Arc’s News to Know.
• Sign up for alerts from The Arc of Washington’s Action Center.
• Connect with your Congressional Representatives.
• Read "Hot Tips for Advocates" to improve your advocacy skills.
• Keep an eye out for The Arc of Washington’s candidate questionnaire.
• VOTE!

Together, let's create a community where every individual, regardless of ability, can thrive and contribute. You can make a difference!

2023 DDA Caseload and Cost Report

 For those of us who love data, here's the link to the Developmental Disabilities Administration 2023 Caseload and Cost Report. 

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/DDA/dda/documents/23-1149%20DDA%20Caseload%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf

Bills of Interest 2024

 

Bills of Interest - 2024 Legislative Session

HB 2184 - Allowing parent's to be paid caregivers of their minor children on DDA waivers.

HB 2080 - Creating a new DDA waiver service for Day Habilitation.

HB 2365 - Increasing access to respite care for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers.

HB 1479 - Concerning the elimination/reduction of restraint and isolation of children in public schools.

 

Here are just a few of the bills of interest this legislative session. Check out more at https://arcwa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/01/Jan-15-2024-Bills-of-Interest-1.17.24.pdf

Legislative Advocacy 2024

 

Registration open for the Arc of WA’s Advocacy Days https://arcwa.org/advocacy/2024-advocacy-days/

Advocacy Days are held virtually (via Zoom) during each legislative session to involve individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), their families, and their service providers in the legislative process. 

Legislative Notebook https://arcwa.org/advocacy/2024-legislative-session-notebook/

Each year before legislative session, The Arc of Washington State, the Developmental Disability Council, and the Community Advocacy Coalition collect information from disability advocates, providers, families, and community members, and compile it into a Legislative Notebook for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). The Notebook is available on the Arc of WA website

Action Alerts https://arcwa.org/action-center/

Sign up with the Arc of WA to receive Action Alert emails or text messages when legislators need to hear your voice on specific budget or policy issues. Make a difference! 

 

Washington State Legislature www.leg.wa.gov

Find your legislators, contact them via email, connect with them during session, find information on bills that have been filed, and sign up to testify or note your position on a bill.

 

Kittitas County Parent Coalition http://kc-parentcoalition.blogspot.com/

Contact Michelle Williams kittitascountyparent2parent@gmail.com to learn about statewide advocacy.

 

DDA GovDelivery

Visit https://www.dshs.wa.gov/dda/dda-messages and sign up to receive timely messages and updates from DSHS and the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

2024 Legislative Notebook

 

The 2024 Legislative Session Notebook is now live on The Arc of Washington website!

Note that this is a work in progress, and materials will be added or updated throughout the session.

 

Here’s the link!     https://arcwa.org/advocacy/2024-legislative-session-notebook/