Maryland Gazette Staff Writer Allison Bourg's ongoing reporting on the growing crisis for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families is to be commended. These articles certainly help focus attention on this growing crisis, and the need for Gov. Martin O'Malley and our elected officials to address this issue by substantially increasing funding in the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) budget in order to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the number of Maryland families waiting on a growing state-maintained list for services they desperately need and deserve.

As reported in her Aug. 9, article (Crisis in care: Stretched families hunt for a break), more than 18,000 Marylanders from every jurisdiction in the state have been placed on this waiting list. Despite these appalling figures, many people in Maryland are not aware of the waiting list and this growing crisis.

Simply put, children and adults with significant developmental disabilities throughout Maryland need essential services - such as in-home support, employment programs, respite care and transportation - to remain with their families and in their communities. These services have not been adequately funded in Maryland, so individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have been placed on a waiting list for community services kept by the DDA, a state-run agency.

The list has grown to crisis proportions to 18,024 people waiting for services. According to the DDA, more than half of the people on the waiting list are in crisis.

Developmental disabilities are significant, life-long disabilities that begin at birth or during childhood (through the age of 21). Some examples are autism, intellectual/cognitive disability, cerebral palsy, and down syndrome.

One of the most recent additions to the state's wait list is Jeff and Darlene Galentine of Pasadena.  The Galentine's youngest daughter, Jenna, was born with an undiagnosed genetic syndrome, which has impacted her speech, coordination, muscle tone and fine motor skills.  They were placed on the wait list this summer after they applied for funding to help offset the cost of Jenna's numerous physical, speech and occupational therapy sessions.

The Galentine's are not alone. Nearly 1,200 Anne Arundel County residents are on the state waiting list, a 74 percent increase from just four years ago.

 Many more families are at their breaking point after having their child wait for years on the state's waiting list. Often the greatest concern parents of children with developmental disabilities have is that they will die, and their children will be left without the support they need.

  Some families call the state's waiting list the dead or dying list because it seems like a parent has to die or be dying before their loved one with a disability receives services.

To help individuals and families across Maryland, like the Galentine family, we recently launched the End the Wait Now! campaign, a grass roots movement of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and the Developmental Disabilities Coalition to urge Gov. O'Malley and our elected officials to commit to a five-year funding initiative in his DDA budget to eliminate the wait list.

Government must provide resources for our citizens most in need. Ironically, despite being the wealthiest states in the nation, Maryland ranks 43rd in total spending it devotes to services to support people with developmental disabilities.

Gov. O'Malley has shown leadership by addressing other issues important to the developmental disabilities community. Therefore, we call upon him now to end the wait for thousands of people with disabilities in Maryland, like the Galentine family, who need supports and services in their community, and to strengthen the under-funded system of community-based services.

Additional information on the End the Wait Now! campaign, including videos and testimonials of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families on the waiting list, can be found at: www.endthewaitnow.com. 

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Brian Cox is the executive director of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, based in Baltimore.

Cristine Marchand is the executive director of The Arc of the Central Chesapeake Region in Annapolis.