Ombudsman for Individuals with I/DD Issues 2019 Annual Report

The State’s Ombudsman, Paul Aronsohn, released his second annual report to the Legislature, the Governor, and the Commissioners of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Children and Families. The report outlines observations gleaned from hundreds of meetings with constituents throughout the year and his recommendations for the future.

Among his observations, Mr. Aronsohn acknowledged a number of Autism New Jersey’s priorities by highlighting the importance of the passage of the Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Act, the need to increase the quantity and quality of services for individuals with severe challenging behavior, and the importance of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) earning a wage that is commensurate with the work they do.

Mr. Aronsohn’s report concludes with three overarching recommendations:

1. Strengthen the State’s engagement of individuals and families
2. Ensure that one Administration official who can represent the views and interests of the disability community be involved in the development of all major policy proposals
3. Consider re-organizing State government into an interdepartmental group that can better examine many of the issues laid out in his report

Autism New Jersey supports these recommendations and looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Aronsohn to make these recommendations a reality.