Tom Abinanti is a leading statewide spokesman for people with special needs.
As father of a young man with autism, former legislator and attorney who represents people with disabilities, Tom Abinanti understands the role government must play to help people who can’t always help themselves. He knows people with different abilities are an under-appreciated resource – given a chance, they can help better our community. He also sees the numerous ways New York State is failing people with disabilities – and how to fix it.
MAKING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES A PRIORITY
Tom Abinanti knows that we must do all possible to spur the State to make people with disabilities a priority.
As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti fought for and was the first Chair of an Assembly Committee on People with Disabilities. He provided the leadership necessary to focus the Legislature on meeting the needs of those with disabilities.
Since he left the Assembly, he has worked with the “disability community” statewide to improve the lives of people with special needs. Tom Abinanti’s advocacy for people with disabilities is not a new concern – it long-predated his election to the Assembly — even predated his son’s autism diagnosis.
When he was a County Legislator, Tom Abinanti developed a special grant program through which Westchester County annually provided assistance to Music Therapy Programs in Westchester. The grants were designed to provide music therapy for children with disabilities in schools throughout Westchester that have a concentration of students who could not otherwise afford these programs.
As County Legislator, Tom Abinanti served on the Committee on Children with Special Needs of the New York State Association of Counties. He has consistently fought against the efforts by
various state and county leaders to shift the cost of Early Intervention programs to the real property tax base of school districts. He worked successfully with a statewide network of
parents of children with autism to change New York State laws to help people with autism obtain medical insurance coverage.
IT’S NOT JUST MONEY – IT’S POLICY.
NYS Constitutional Amendment
As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti sponsored a NYS Constitution Amendment to prohibit discrimination based on disability. It is included in a proposition on the November 2024 Ballot.
Workforce
As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti led the successful effort for the first OPWDD budget increase in 10 years. But the State has slipped back, underfunding efforts to increase a woefully understaffed and underpaid workforce.
Housing
The State has stopped funding needed additional housing despite a long-waiting list of people with disabilities. As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti challenged OPWDD to work with families and fund more housing. He passed legislation in the Assembly to facilitate innovative non-certified housing and thwart OPWDD’s attempts to block family-supported housing in the community. The legislation has stalled since he left the Assembly.
Employment
As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti conducted a public hearing to explore barriers to employment for people with disabilities and worked to implement strategies to increase employment and alternative day programs for people with disabilities.
Crisis Response
As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti advocated for a statewide response system, more state money for crisis teams, first-responder training and de-escalation resources.
Compensatory Education Services
As an Assembly member, Tom Abinanti passed a law suspending New York’s “age out” at 21 law so school districts can provide compensatory services for IEP-required services.
Early intervention
The State is destroying its previously excellent early intervention program.
The State has taken over and mismanaged the administration of the program — with therapists fleeing and babies waiting for services. The State has failed to require health insurers to cover usual and routine treatments for people with special needs.
AGENDA
The State must recognize that people with special needs are part of our community and better respond to their needs. The State must reaffirm its commitment to people with special needs.
- Education (sufficient state funding for special education);
- Health Care (restore early intervention, require broader insurance company reimbursements);
- Housing and daily living assistance (increase number of and adequate funding for facilities and better staff training; facilitate family-initiated non-certified alternative housing opportunities)
- Jobs (facilitate employment with job training; education, technical assistance and incentives for employers);
- Crisis response (address their special mental health needs, including providing appropriately trained crisis intervention and crisis respite centers; appropriate training for all community first responders)
- Fair and dignified treatment (enact a bill of rights for those in OPWDD certified residences; due process for people with disabilities negatively impacted by OPWDD decisions).
The cost of deferring solutions is tremendous – not just in wasted lives of people with disabilities but in the additional tax dollars that will eventually be needed to deal with the results of the neglect.