Expectations high for new office on disability

The newly created Office of Disability Policy and Programs is looking at ways to further improve the lives of CNMI residents with disabilities.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said a system of services that is flexible should be put in place to allow people to make reasonable choices. This network for people with disabilities would be guided by quality and choice that promptly responds to requests for shelters that let them live with maximum freedom, along with enough money to meet their needs, he added.

Fitial spoke about his expectations for the new office during a proclamation signing yesterday, designating March as CNMI Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, with the theme “Everybody Belongs.”

The new office is expected to provide a system that ensures the health and safety of all people it would serve. Fitial said the office would take care of the expansion of the Medicaid program to maximize the federal dollars available for services.

Fitial added that he is confident that the new office would map out a long-term support impact plan through the full implementation of the CNMI Respite Care Services Act to provide temporary relief to caregivers and the proposed Personal Assistance Services to provide day-to-day support.

Disability advocate Thomas Camacho now heads the new office under the Governor’s Office. With Camacho onboard, Fitial said he would formulate more effective funding mechanisms that are flexible and responsive. Furthermore, it would also provide a solution for aging caregivers who worry about their wards after they are gone.

“The Office of Disability Policy & Programs, in collaboration with the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and other disability-related offices, agencies and organizations are committed to making this vision a reality. It is our blueprint for the future,” Fitial said.

More than 9,000 people with disabilities reside in the CNMI, representing 13 percent of the entire population.

The governor is inviting the community to partake and support in the upcoming activities of the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities to enable people with developmental disabilities to lead productive live and achieve their full potential.

Representatives from the CNMI Association of Families with Disabilities, Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc., NMC-UCED, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, PSS Early Intervention Program, and Center for Independent Living, among many others also attended the proclamation signing yesterday morning.

Rep. Jacinta Kaipat also attended the event, leading the group in singing You Are My Sunshine, both in English and Chamorro, just before the governor arrived at the venue.

Cynthia Attao and Jesse John Stephen read yesterday’s welcome remarks, while Pearly K. Cangco and Nathan Rey Abe helped the governor read the proclamation.