At the edge of a busy street in St. Thomas stood a group of women holding large handmade signs in hopes of spreading the message that the Ford government is not providing sufficient funding for children with disabilities.
All the moms have children with autism, and they tell X FM News it takes $50,000 to $100,000 a year to raise a child battling with the disorder, but the Ford government has cut funding down to just $5,000 per child, per year.
Among the group of women stood Karen Parisi, who got teary-eyed when describing her beloved 5-year-old son.
“He’s easy to love… he’s sweet, he’s funny, he’s kind…. He absolutely deserves more than what he’s getting.”
Karen Parisi
The moms have been protesting since February but as the months go by, they say nothing has changed.
The Ford government is not rolling out any plans to reconsider boosting up funding for children with disabilities, and the moms say they’re getting fed up.
Parisi got emotional again when she used the world ‘selfish’ to describe her view on the Ford government.
“My son would [have] been in service right now… he’s missing out on the service that he needs.”
Laura Nesbett has a son and a grand-daughter who both battle autism, and she tells X FM News she’s been ‘fighting with the government’ for over 30 years, but as each new party takes over, funding has only decreased as the years go by.
The upcoming federal election could potentially lead to positive changes towards funding, however, Nesbett says she feels hopeless at this point.
“I have no faith in any of [the federal party leaders]. I’m sorry to say, I’m so disappointed… They’re spending money on all of these ads that are negative instead of using that money [towards] funding for the people.”
Nesbett knows all too well how ‘bitter’ a family becomes when a child deals with a mental disorder such as autism.
She recalls her younger children getting fussy when their sibling got all the attention.
“There’s no vacations, there’s no new cars, there’s no braces, there’s no nothing… but therapy.”
Laura Nebett
As the day went on, with cars honking and pedestrians waving, the women say they’re feeling hopeful that change ‘might’ be possible somewhere down the line.
The mothers tell X FM News while they’re waiting for the day when funding for children with disabilities is sufficient, and in the meantime, they’ll always be there to support each other.
“We are always there for one another,” tells Parisi. “[From] late night phone calls, to grabbing a coffee… we take turns [babysitting] each other’s kids to give the other parents time-off.”
The mothers say they’re never giving up, and will protest for as long it takes for the government to finally listen.
