What Is The Foundation?

15,500 individuals with developmental disabilities are on waiting lists for services in the State of Indiana. They can be on those waiting lists for as long as 10 years. This could be:

10 years from the day an infant is born and diagnosed with a developmental disability.

10 years from the day a toddler significantly slows in development and is diagnosed with a disability.

10 years from the day a young adult graduates from high school special education classes to go home and slowly lose the skills gained over 12 – 15 years.

10 years from the day elderly parents decide it is time for their middle-aged child to find a living situation before they can no longer provide a home.

This number – 15,500 – is an old number. It was released to the public in 2004 and has not been updated since then. Since 2004, infants have been born and diagnosed with developmental disabilities, toddlers have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities, young adults with developmental disabilities have graduated from high school, and aging parents have come to the realization that they can no longer care for their adult children with developmental disabilities. And yes, since 2004, individuals with developmental disabilities have died before coming to the top of the list.

How large is that number today? We don’t know.

How many are in Cass and Pulaski Counties? We don’t know for sure, but it is our understanding that there are nearly 120 in Cass County and nearly 40 in Pulaski County.