Thousands of disabled kids and adults denied ‘life-altering’ help in N.J. budget, advocates say
There are 400 infants and toddlers in New Jersey with developmental delays waiting months for treatment that could prepare them for school — down time their developing brains do not have to spare.
That backlog could be eliminated by including $4.4 million to the proposed state budget to hire more speech, occupational and physical therapists at more competitive wages through the state’s Early Intervention program, which served 17,000 last year, said Cathy Chin, executive director for the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities.