Posted on January 17, 2025
A legacy of monumental changes in laws, opportunities and acceptance for people with IDD.
Gregory Miller
President/CEO Penn-Mar Human Services
At noon on January 20th, Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States.
When I began working at Penn-Mar in 1988, Ronald Reagan – our 40th President – was completing his second term. He succeeded the recently deceased Jimmy Carter whose National Day of Mourning was observed on January 9th.
Thinking back, I realized that during my time here the country has been led by six more Presidents, including George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and our current office holder, Joe Biden.
And while these gentlemen were given the honor of serving their country for either four or eight years, I have been fortunate to lead the Penn-Mar organization as CEO for 13 years, thanks to the strong support of our Board, team members and families.
When I joined Penn-Mar, the deinstitutionalization push for people with disabilities was in full swing on the residential side. The first 17 people supported by Penn-Mar all came to us from state institutions.
Penn-Mar, like other human services organizations at the time, operated with more of a caregiving mentality. Over the years our services evolved to be more person-centered, empowering people with disabilities to have the individual supports they need to live meaningful, courageous lives.
In the late 80s Penn-Mar’s Day Program and supported employment program were evolving as well. Onsite sheltered employment like our own production operation was common and we had contracts with companies like Danaher Tools Group, A&A Plastics and McCormick Spices.
These projects put work in the hands of people with disabilities who would not have found employment elsewhere. They were paid a “piece rate” (now illegal in almost all states) rather than minimum wage and we eventually closed that line of business in 2011 when we developed an Employment First strategy.
Many of you may recall that community job opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) back then were mostly as baggers in supermarkets, or in janitorial and fast-food restaurant work. Good honest work, but very limited in scope.
Our current Customized Employment and Discovery process creates a career plan for each of our job seekers based on a proper skill match, job coaching, and close working relationships with employers.
In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, the most sweeping affirmation of rights for people with disabilities in American history at the time. An Amendment to that Act was passed into law in 2008 by his son, President George W. Bush, clarifying and broadening the definition of “disability” and the number and types of persons protected under the ADA and other Federal disability nondiscrimination laws.
Medicaid programs at the Federal level have been very solid through all the past administrations mentioned. During the Obama years Medicaid started to evolve in a more positive way toward person-centered thinking, with a new set of regulation requirements on how the dollars used to support people with IDD were used.
And the support received during COVID from both the Trump and Biden administrations literally helped us survive the pandemic.
The outlook for a child born today with IDD is significantly different than it was for a child born 35 years ago. But the one constant that has never changed – and never will – is the unyielding support of their families. Administrations come-and-go but their families are there for the long haul to advocate for their loved ones, and Penn-Mar is there to help chart that life course.
The changes in laws, opportunities and acceptance for people with disabilities since 1988 have been monumental. But the work goes on and we at Penn-Mar are committed to leading the way to continually create increased opportunities for the people we support to achieve their personal best on their own unique journey.