MRDD Results of poll to be revealed

Parents of MRDD children want to be designated their children's caregivers.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LIBERTY -- The results of a survey in which candidates for Trumbull and Mahoning County commissioner were asked if they would appoint more parents to the local boards of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities will be revealed Friday.
The Parents of Mentally Retarded and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults, spearheaded by Marilyn Ellis-Gualandi, has scheduled a press conference at 4 p.m. at the office of state Sen. Marc E. Dann, 4531 Belmont Ave., to make the results of their questionnaire public.
Ellis-Gualandi, of Johnston in Trumbull County, and others in the group want more parents appointed to the Trumbull and Mahoning County Boards of MRDD, and more of the county and state money now going to corporate care providers be funneled to parents to provide care for their own children.
4 questions
The questionnaire asks four questions:
UDo you support the right of MRDD parents to care for their own children in their own home?
UWill you appoint members of the MRDD Board who will fight for parents who wish to care for their own MRDD children in their homes?
UWill you appoint at least two parents of MRDD children to the MRDD Board in your term and continue to appoint parents of MRDD children to the board until at least half of the members are parents of MRDD children?
UWill you take all steps possible to make sure that a maximum proportion of county and state dollars paid to providers of MRDD services goes to the actual caregivers, as opposed to corporate providers?
Dann, of Liberty, D-32nd, became embroiled in the issue when he attended a meeting of some 50 parents earlier this month at Blessed Sacrament Church in Warren. He promised to help the parents gain the attention of the commissioner candidates.
After the questionnaire results are announced Friday, they will be sent to MRDD parents around the area, Ellis-Gualandi said.