Anna Montaldo would like to get off disability.
But she can't.
Among other hurdles, transportation is a challenge.
Montaldo, a 22-year-old St. Louis woman who has cerebral palsy, needs help just getting around. And if she can't travel, she can't work independently.
"I require a one-on-one aide to drive me," she said, "without a one-on-one aide, I would be in bed all day."
Because it's difficult to find an aide, Montaldo finds it hard to find employment.
"I'm trying to get off disability, but I can't do that if I don't have employment," she said.
Her father, Stuart Montaldo, added that more investment in caregivers would allow his daughter to go out to work and get off disability "for the rest of her life."
"Long term, it's even going to be a good money decision," he said.
The Montaldos attended Disability Rights Legislative Day late Wednesday morning at the Missouri State Capitol.
They and hundreds of others gathered to voice their concerns and advocate for disability rights. They offered their concerns about not only transportation, but also finding caregivers and overcoming barriers to educational opportunities. Participants wearing brightly colored shirts representing their organizations filled the Rotunda floor.
Investment was a key focus at the rally. Speakers like first lady Teresa Parson talked about the funding and initiatives dedicated to people with disabilities.
Apart from announcing March as Missouri Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Parson also talked about the near $90 million Gov. Mike Parson allocated in his budget for responding to and supporting people with developmental disabilities.
She said the governor is also committed to ensuring access to mental health, health care, residential services, in-home support and encouraging "workforce options for those with disabilities."
Rep. Melanie Stinnett, R-Springfield, took the stage to highlight her bills that would modify the Ticket to Work Health Assurance Program to allow more working people with disabilities to receive medical benefits, along with a bill that would require all state agencies to "promote competitive integrated employment," according to the bills' summaries.
Meanwhile, many of the self-advocate speakers talked about the difficulties they faced in life and what they wanted their legislators to prioritize.
Nadiya Al-Noor, the youth and adult education coordinator at Services for Independent Living, talked about the importance of transportation.
"Without accessible, affordable transportation, everything else is a pipe dream," she said. "We cannot work, we cannot get medical attention, we cannot participate in our communities."
Then she recalled anecdotes of people with disabilities being mistreated by Paratransit, the Columbia city transit service.
"Investment in transportation is investment in the lives of disabled people," she said.
Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, is looking into offsetting the costs private rideshare companies incurred for specific purposes, like driving people without transportation access to their doctor's appointments or work or errands. He added these private services are more flexible and can better serve rural communities than public ones like the OATS buses.
"I hope to make some investments in these essentially private entities that then complement those public transits," he said.
Anna Montaldo was anxious about the possibility the Legislature could cut off funding for "people who can help (her) be a productive member of society."
Similarly, Tammy Teal, another self-advocate speaker, said the caregiver crisis "affects all of us."
"Every time I get assessed, the state takes away hours because they're not used," Teal said. "They're not used because we need help."
Instead of taking away unused work hours, Teal said the state should help her get help. She ended her speech by leading a crowd chant: "We want to work, but we need a ride, and we need more help."
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Hundreds of advocates and self-advocates filled the Capitol Rotunda for Disability Rights Legislative Day Wednesday, March 1, 2023, during which several speakers, including First Lady Teresa Parson, addressed the group, which spilled over to the second and third floor rotundas. Parson presented advocate and emcee Michkeal Cross of St. Louis, atanding at left, with a resolution from the governor that declares March Disability Rights Month in Missouri.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Hundreds of advocates and self-advocates filled the Capitol Rotunda for Disability Rights Legislative Day Wednesday, March 1, 2023, during which several speakers addressed the group, which spilled over to the second and third floor rotundas.
Julie Smith/News Tribune Hundreds of advocates and self-advocates filled the Capitol Rotunda for Disability Rights Legislative Day Wednesday, March 1, 2023, during which several speakers addressed the group, which spilled over to the second and third floor rotundas.