What We Need - Nicole Silverman

May 21, 2020

My name is Nicole Silverman and I am a mother of a child with cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder. My family is from Milwaukie, Oregon. The COVID-19 emergency has severely impacted access to my son's personal support workers (PSWs). As such, I am spending a great portion of my time providing around-the-clock care for my child. This has personally impacted my employment status, and I am not able to put time into my personal business and contribute financially for my family. In addition, the COVID-19 emergency has limited my son's access to his free and appropriate education. Many of the activities that are sent to me by the school are not related to my child's IEP or are not feasible with the materials I have at home. The COVID-19 emergency has also caused distress regarding the availability of my son's life-essential medications. I am worried about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on my son's community participation. I know you are working on the fourth relief package for COVID-19. I want to learn more about how you are going to help people with disabilities in this package. Thank you very much for your time.