Friends of JCDS government relations and advocacy

Did you know?

• At this moment, nearly 4,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities (DD) in Kansas are waiting to receive help. More than 600 of those waiting for services are from Johnson County.
• The State of Kansas has maintained “waiting lists” for those with DD for over 12 years! These lists have grown by around 300 individual every year since 1996. The current typical wait to enter DD services in Kansas is more than 4 years!
• Kansas has an excellent, well-established network of community-based disability service providers who offer vital direct care as a quality alternative to institutional settings. Yet the state pays it own direct care workers (those who work in the State’s two DD institutions) a starting wage of $12.35 per hour. The average wage for community provider staff in Kansas is $8.83 per hour!

The Friends of JCDS believes that every man, woman and child with a developmental disability should have access to the quality supports they need to achieve independence, self determination, productivity, and integration into the community.