AccessCNY, Arc of Onondaga call for increased funding amid inflation
AccessCNY is advocating for a 7.8% wage increase to maintain staff and serve New Yorkers with disability and mental health diagnoses. It comes amid uncertainty over the state budget due to federal funding cuts. Solange Jain | Photo Editor
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Ten years ago, employees at AccessCNY, a non-profit organization that provides vital resources for the local disabled community, earned nearly 25% more than minimum wage.
But Matt Seubert, the organization’s chief development officer, said wages for its workers haven’t kept up with New York state’s inflation.
“Over the last few years, these jobs have become closer to minimum wage jobs than jobs that are seen as a premium,” Seubert said. “These are not minimum wage jobs. These are jobs to help people be successful in the community, and we need to pay them as such.”
AccessCNY supports around 2,400 people in New York state living with disabilities and mental health diagnoses. The organization employs about 1,400 people, most of them being direct support professionals, who provide a wide array of support services from helping people get dressed to facilitating employment opportunities.
With negotiations over New York State’s 2025 budget extended three times — the most recent deadline set for Wednesday — organizations like AccessCNY are hoping for increased funding directed toward disability services as they struggle to support their communities and retain their staff.
Seubert said the organization is advocating for a 7.8% increase in the wage rate for DSPs.
“Wages for our direct support professionals have not kept that gap between the minimum wage and what we’re able to pay based on our state funding,” Seubert said. “This year, our ask as the New York State legislature and governor put the budget together was to keep up with that inflation rate and do some catch-up to previous rates that weren’t taken into account.”
He also said AccessCNY’s advocacy work is dependent on collaboration with outside organizations, like Arc of Onondaga, which provides similar resources as well as residential services.
On March 21, 400 people gathered at the New York State Fairgrounds for the “Invest in us” Rally, where several disability advocacy organizations, community members and politicians called for increased funding for disability services. Attendees held signs reading, “Don’t Cut Medicaid” and “We Matter!”
Solange Jain | Photo Editor
AccessCNY supports around 2,400 people in New York state living with disabilities and mental health diagnoses. The organization employs about 1,400 people.
At the rally, speakers shared similar stories to Seubert, expressing concerns for their ability to pay employees a livable wage that keeps up with the rate of inflation. Joanna Jewett, Arc of Onondaga’s chief communications officer, said many of the DSPs employed by both organizations are struggling to keep up with the cost of living, and, as a result, must work additional jobs or even work for both organizations.
Jewett said her organization, which supports around 600 families, has similarly struggled to recruit and retain employees with the limited salaries the organization can offer.
“We want to hire good staff and keep them and not just recruit, but also retain. So, we need the funding to be able to do that,” Jewett said.
The rally, organized by Arc of Onondaga and AccessCNY, was attended by multiple local politicians, including Rep. John Mannion and State Senator Rachel May, along with New York Assembly Members Pamela Hunter, William Magnarelli and John Lemondes Jr.’s offices.
Mannion spoke at the rally to call for the state to invest in disability resources, which Jewett said speaks to the importance of Arc of Onondaga and AccessCNY’s mission.
“He’s been a long-time advocate for our field, and he gave a very fiery speech that was right on the money, that it is time for New York state to invest in the people that we support,” Jewett said. “Hopefully, all of those voices joining together will move the needle, and our representatives will do the right thing by the people that we support.”
Mannion has advocated for disability rights in New York for much of his political career, a spokesperson for the congressman wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange.
On March 26, Mannion introduced his first bill at the federal level that aims to protect special education programs in the wake of President Donald Trump’s efforts to shutter the Department of Education.
The bill would protect students who receive educational services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the DOEd overall, which would be crucial amid federal funding concerns that could lead to more delays in the state budget, according to the New York Times.
With $91 billion of the projected $252 billion budget for New York coming from the federal level, abrupt funding cuts leave the implementation of the state budget unpredictable. Just this week, the Department of Health and Human Services canceled more than $12 billion in federal grants to states, the Times reported.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty coming from the federal government, and while that hasn’t necessarily had a direct impact on AccessCNY, it’s something we’re watching closely as it may impact those that we serve,” Seubert said.
Despite the state budget’s uncertain future, Seubert said AccessCNY hasn’t wavered in its efforts. In addition to the rally, members of the Arc of Onondaga and AccessCNY met with legislators in Albany in February to advocate for increased allocations, Jewett said.
AccessCNY has also conducted letter-writing campaigns to state senators and state assembly members.
“Over the last few years, we’ve partnered with Arc of Onondaga to advocate for better wages for our direct support professionals,” Seubert said. “(Their) work at AccessCNY is vital to the independence and the success of folks with disabilities or mental health diagnoses that we support.”
