Emily Alpert Reyes, of the Los Angeles Times, reported that government spending on services for children and teens with developmental disabilities in California differs by ethnic group. She based her article (published 25 May 2022) on a report by Public Counsel, a legal advocacy group, that showed that in regional centers across the state there is inequitable access to services according to families’ ethnicity.

In large measure, the disparities in spending on and access to services that vary by ethnicity are shrinking over time, but history shows that they were very substantial as recently as 2011 (Zarembo, 2011). Public Counsel’s report stated, “Our analysis of public data indicates that [the California Department of Developmental Services’] measures are inadequate and largely have not been met. Disparities in services between racial and ethnic groups continue to fester.”

Ms. Reyes led (“lede?”) her article with this:

Racial and ethnic gaps in spending on services for California children and teens with developmental disabilities have persisted, despite California investing tens of millions of dollars in efforts to address such disparities, a new report has found.

The report, released Wednesday by the legal advocacy group Public Counsel, found that at most of the California regional centers, which assist developmentally disabled people across the state, spending inequities had worsened for Latino youth during the last budget year. Even as that gap narrowed statewide, it was widening at many individual centers.

Despite long-standing awareness of the problem, “we still have a system of separate and unequal services for children with disabilities,” said Sharon Balmer Cartagena, directing attorney of the Children’s Rights Project at Public Counsel.

Public Counsel’s examination of racial-ethnic disparities only reflects the situation in California. Despite the fact that California is a substantial and important government entity, it is only one entity. Thus, the report is a case study. Readers (and I) can spin up arguments for why the case is or is not representative of what’s transpiring in other locations. It would be important to know whether and to what extent such conditions obtain in other entities in the US, in OZ, in the EU, in Africa, on Earth…in my backyard.

Regardless, of where such disparities might occur, it would be wise to identify their extent with objective data, work to eradicate them, and keep track of whether efforts to reduce them are making a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Sources

Read Ms. Reyes’ article here. Find a PDF of Public Counsel’s report here. Learn more about Public Council’s work on behalf of children and youths here.

Zarembo, A. (2011, 13 December). Warrior parents fare best in securing autism services. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/local/autism/la-me-autism-day-two-html-htmlstory.html