February 25th, 2009

 

ANNAPOLIS - With a husband deployed in Afghanistan, Mountain Knotter needs help from the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration to care for her two autistic children, but she’s been told to wait six more years. Knotter is one of 18,750 individuals who has requested services from the administration but has been forced to wait for years because the state does not have enough money, said agency representatives.

 

Charged by the desire to fix the funding shortage, hundreds of people, including Knotter, converged on Annapolis Wednesday for Developmental Disabilities Day to support legislation to increase the state tax on alcohol by 5 cents.

 

The tax would generate about $80 million annually, with $29 million of that to be used exclusively to fund the agency’s services. Another portion would be diverted into the state’s general fund. Advocates also came to the capital to back legislation that would remove the word “retarded” from state codes and laws and replace it with “intellectual disability.” The bill passed unanimously in the House Feb. 20. Abolishing the use of a hurtful word may be easier than raising the alcohol tax in a tough economy.

 

Delegate Bill Bronrott, D- Montgomery, a sponsor of the bill, did not appear swayed by the challenging fiscal outlook. “I am with you with respect to the resources that are needed to address this outrageous waiting list,” he said in his address to the audience gathered in the Miller Senate Building.

When the meeting ended, the crowd led a charge across the street to the legislative offices, armed with signs, photos and personal stories of strife. Knotter made her first plea to a legislative aide in the office of Senator Norman Stone, Jr., D-Baltimore County.

 

“My son is the main issue because he requires 24-7, one-on-one care,” she said, before handing the aide a small tin with a plastic nickel inside to represent the alcohol tax that could get her the services she needs.

 

Knotter spent $15,000 last year to make changes to her home that would accommodate her son, Noah Knotter, during his frequently violent outbursts, including building fences and a padded room.

 

Now, she says she has no money left to hire the help she needs to care for her son or her daughter, who is also autistic and “has to stay in her room all the time” to shield her from her brother’s tantrums.

 

“The situation actually became so desperate that a couple of months ago I took my little 8-year-old boy to a residential facility — it’s a group home for autistic boys.” Knotter said.

 

She said things would improve if she could get two hours of help per day. “I’d really like to bring him home, but I can’t do that unless things are different than they were before,” she said.

 

By Capital News Service’s Erika Woodward