With the new year comes resolutions, and goals that everyday people have for change. But the New Year also means that the state’s governor sets her own resolutions in the State of The State. It’s the first step in her sharing what she would like to see the state do differently with her budget.
Ahead of that declaration, one disability organization is asking the state to make a change that could rescue important programs for people with disabilities. WBFO’s Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins has that exclusive interview.
Stacey Hengsterman never pictured her 19-year-old son Alex, who has Down syndrome, being interested in powerlifting. But now she can’t imagine his life without it.
“Powerlifting is his big sport right now, which I never would have imagined," Hengsterman said. "And to hear him tell me continually that it's changed his life. Just shows me how important it is, and how much I want to make sure that people in New York, specifically parents of people with disabilities, know that we're here and what a life-changing program it could be.”
Hengsterman isn’t just the parent of a Special Olympics athlete. She’s the CEO of Special Olympics New York, which provides 42,000 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to play 23 different sports, completely free of charge.
Special Olympics programs are competitive, and serve both students in unified sports programs in 300 schools across the state, as well as adults through training clubs where athletes prepare for Special Olympics tri-annual competitions.
And beyond accessing sports, athletes are also able to receive free comprehensive health screenings to stay healthy. Hengsterman shares this story:
“The young lady that usually took the silver medal, she usually came in second in track and went through one of our screenings," Hengsterman said. "And her glasses were, they were not the right prescription. And they made her new glasses on the spot. And she took gold that day. And we found that she was always following the person in front of her because she couldn't see.”
But Special Olympics New York is facing massive cuts due to inflation. This year, Hengsterman says they’ll have to cut participation in games by a third and limit recruitment.
“Before the pandemic, you know, several years ago, a bus, which we rely on for transportation costs $3,000 to $4,000. And now that same bus costs $9,000," said Hengsterman.
Hengsterman says their budget is up to $11.5 million, up by $3 million from before the pandemic.
“Next year in the budget, we've kind of had to say, we don't — we can't do as much as big recruiting as we've done in the past. In addition to that, we have to take away some games and some opportunities for our existing athletes.”
While two-thirds of their funding comes from community fundraising like the Polar Plunge and private organizations, a third of it comes from grants and the government. Hengsterman says they get about $1.5 million from New York state each year. But that number hasn’t changed in 20 years.
“We thought this is the year, we've already cut back our games. once. We are doing our part at Special Olympics, we're not asking for handouts, we're asking for help. And we've raised over a million dollars," Hengsterman said. "We've raised over more, we've raised $3 million more year over year since the pandemic, each year, we're willing to keep doing that. But we're just looking at it now, and we can't beat this cost bubble without some additional state support.”
Special Olympics New York is asking New York state to increase their funding to the organization from $1.5 to $3 million in the next budget. It’s important to note, that many people with developmental disabilities receiving state support do get a limited budget for recreational activities, but Special Olympics does not bill that program for their services. Special Olympics also provides the support needed for athletes during events, alleviating some of the need for state-funded aid service at a time when there is a home care and direct support professional shortage.
“I think that it could be almost seen as cost-neutral to the state. So the more athletes that go to our game, the less staff support they need, the less respite dollars their families need, it could be used for other things, the less transportation dollars, we're picking up all those costs," Hengsterman said. "So, I think that and the health services, we're getting those athletes screened, you know, so they can get health care on the spot, and potentially avoiding a problem that could bring them to the ER.”
For Hengsterman, knowing these programs will be cut is not only professionally difficult, it’s personally heartbreaking, and she hopes they will get the governor’s attention and the funding they need.
“If my son was not in Special Olympics, I don't know what would be taking up his time. This is his social opportunities. It's his health opportunities. So, it kills me to have to back away from building our games," Hengsterman said.
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