Testimony

September 8, 2009

Good morning. My name is Camilo Grau. I am a member of the Self-Advocacy Association. It’s a wonderful program that opens doors for everyone to speak their minds and show that we are all equal as people.

Thank you for the allowing me to speak today.

I am here because I want to say that people with developmental disabilities deserve the best. We need programs to succeed in life. If we don’t have programs, we won’t achieve and we’ll have nothing. We need all the support we can get.

It is important that agencies get a trend from OMRDD. It’s hard to keep up with rising costs. When agencies don’t get trends, they have to cut back and they can’t give people raises. I really feel bad for staff who don’t get a raise. Their costs keep going up even if their salaries don’t. I know because I myself have to keep up with costs that keep going up. For example, my Metrocard is now $45 a month. It used to be only $38.

I’ve been working at the New York League for Early Learning’s Grammercy School for nine years. During that time I have had five job coaches. They keep leaving for jobs that pay more money. I don’t blame them. It’s a tough job and you have to have patience and they need the money. But every time one leaves, it’s nerve-wracking to establish a new relationship and new communication with a new job coach. Maybe if they got raises they wouldn’t leave so much.

I want to be independent, just like every other human being. That’s why programs are so important. We need more money to keep the programs going. Please give agencies raises so that they can give the staff raises so that they can help us be independent.

Thank you.