President Barack Obama signed legislation Thursday designed to close a funding loophole threatening the nation’s independent living centers, which offer a variety of services to individuals with disabilities.
The law comes in response to a funding disparity which emerged as a result of last year’s stimulus package, leaving some independent living centers eligible for far more money in future years, while other centers would be underfunded.
The legislation signed by Obama this week closes the gap, ensuring that stimulus dollars won’t compromise future funding of the centers.
The viability of independent living centers is significant given that in many parts of the country the centers are the “primary provider of services” for residents with disabilities, said the legislation’s sponsor Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., in a statement Friday.
“Independent living centers play a critical role for people with disabilities, providing key services like peer counseling and advocacy and promoting access and participation,” Miller said. “This law goes a long way toward ensuring independent living centers do not have to reduce services for people with disabilities.”
The way things are going. Where this funding is is address? This concept of Independent Living does not exist at the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The reality is that the states that receive the funds are of those Representatives that ask for the legislation and most representatives do not do anything. That is the case of Puerto Rico. Legislators at Puerto Rico do not understand the concept of Independent Living Centers and with more than 26% of the population with Persons with Disabilities the disparity still happens.