Advocates for those with disabilities seek Pa. funding boost

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    Disability rights advocates are urging Pennsylvania lawmakers to remember them when a state budget agreement begins to take shape.

    Advocates are asking for increases to nearly a dozen different funding streams that support services for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.

    Josie Badger, with the I Want to Work campaign, is calling for more money to go toward the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, which helps young people with disabilities get work experience before they’re out of school.

    Those young people face more challenges than their peers because they may need extra assistance at work, she said.

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    “That might include transportation … a job coach who would do one-on-one support to help that person learn,” Badger said. “It might include changes to a work space.”

    The biggest ask is for an extra $19 million to fund group homes and hire in-home care aides.

    As many as 14,000 people are on waiting lists for these programs.

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