- northjersey.com/specialreports/full/crucial_care.html
- northjersey.com/news/For_New_Jersey_disabled_adults_smaller_may_be_better.html
- northjersey.com/news/North_Jersey_families_confronted_by_an_uneasy_future.html?page=all
- northjersey.com/news/Low_wages_a_high_price_to_pay_say_community_care_workers.html
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
11/27/2011, 11/28/2011, 11/29/2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Some 40,000 adults in New Jersey suffer from developmental disabilities– serious, lifelong conditions, such as cerebral palsy, that render them incapable of caring for themselves. But only a small fraction of them receive any help from the state even though New Jersey spends $1.5 billion on their care each year. Instead, they must rely on family members– often aging, infirm parents– to see to their often overwhelming needs. That’s the essential revelation of Lipman’s series. Over three days, his reporting made it painfully clear how far off the mark government falls in this essential area. Among the insights he shared with readers: The state spends a third of the $1.5 billion on the 8 percent of the disabled who live in large state institutions, severely limiting what’s available to spend on community care for the vast majority of the disabled. Its rate of institutionalization puts New Jersey at the bottom among states nationally. Attempts to convert some of that resource into cheaper community placements have been tortuous– slowed as much by the concerns of politicians and union members as by legitimate worries about quality of care. Meanwhile, nearly 8,000 disabled adults sit on a state waiting list for services — often for as long as a decade. Despite the intense need for competent caregivers at community residences, the state has gone four years without approving any pay increases for workers in those programs. Most are paid less than the typical McDonald’s employee.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
We used a wide range of public documents, including information from two lawsuits filed against the state by a public advocacy law firm and a wide range of data from the state Division of Developmental Disabilities. However, the process required no FOIA or public records act requests.
Explain types of human sources used.
This was a series largely based on people sources. We interviewed dozens of families of the developmentally disabled to learn their stories about how the system had failed their children. We interviewed dozens more state officials, advocates for the disabled and direct care staff. We toured state institutions and community based facilities, including group homes and supportive apartments. We interviewed many developmentally disabled individuals. That was in fact the heart of the story: telling how the disabled were left without the services they needed by a system that spends most of its money in its institutions.
Results:
Not yet; governor and legislature are in process of appointing commission to review closing of state institutions.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
We wrote a couple of follow-ups when the state announced it was running out of money to fund its proposed solution: using affordable housing trust funds held by each New Jersey town to pay for new community residences.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
While the data are critical to laying the groundwork for a story like this, the numbers only tell part of the picture. It’s essential to spend the time meeting an interviewing the people directly affected to transmit the real human effect.