A recent agreement means that -- despite the budget impasse -- Illinois WILL fund services for babies with disabilities. But as IPR's Amanda Vinicky reports, therapists and children who rallied at the Statehouse today say their worries aren't over.
Illinois stopped funding Early Intervention from July until last week. Maggie Lay says therapists who couldn't afford to work without paychecks stopped seeing her daughter, Tessa. Tessa is 21 months old and has Down Syndrome.
During the rally to preserve those services, Tessa hugged her mom and munched on a Ritz cracker.
"Can you show her how you say cracker? She signs it."
Therapy's back on -- funding the services is not part of court-ordered spending; but Maggie says she's worried Tessa could lose support again. The current deal is just temporary. And Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed reducing eligibility; little blond Tessa would just miss the cutoff.
"If we lose our services, we lose our lifeline; our therapists are our lifeline."
Maggie says she's got good insurance, but it doesn't cover Tessa's occupational therapy.
