08/14/2026
Hello everyone- this is Whit, Vice President of Policy and Programming!
You know, I have provided testimony before the Bob Bethell Oversight Committee almost every single time they’ve allowed public testimony for the last three years. Giving testimony this week, though, felt the most personal, the most meaningful, and unfortunately, the one that hit a little too close to home.
I have shared my story many times with Kansas Legislators. I’ve shared about being on the IDD Waiver waitlist for 8 years. I have shared about how, in year four of my wait, I tried to end my own life. The issues that we advocate for at KCDD - these very important issues - are extremely urgent.
Kansas cannot afford to spend any more time taking backward steps. In 2024, 500 waiver slots were funded. In 2025, 200 waiver slots were funded. This year, however, 2026, there were NO slots funded for the IDD waiver.
This is an injustice to the 5,348 people currently waiting.
That is why, this week, I shared that the Bob Bethell Committee members act with urgency on this matter. This goes far beyond Legislative Members, though. As a community - especially as a disability community, we MUST tell anyone and everyone about the following reality:
All of the thousands of Kansans waiting on their IDD Waiver spot are all human beings with real dreams, real goals, and real hopes for their futures. Additionally, they all have real struggles and real barriers to community living. THAT is why they qualify for the IDD Waiver.
And that, my friends, is where my testimony hit a little too close to home…
As many of you know, our KCDD Council recently lost one of our own. Perri Spencer, 22, took his life. He was reaching year four of waiting for his waiver spot. Perri carried an immeasurable amount of emotional turmoil. And living his life without the proper support and services he could’ve received from the comprehensive IDD Waiver, his life was left to be a series of crises.
I shared that truth with the Bob Bethell Committee.
I wasn’t alone while giving testimony. Perri, our friend, was with us all in spirit. I even brought a bluetooth speaker and played part of Perri’s SPEAK Up! Video for all in the room to hear. His message to the legislature was simple: please fund the developmental disability waiver.
At KCDD, we are full of hope for the future! We know that this reality will one day be part of history - that one day, the waitlist will be eliminated. Until that day, we are committed, day in and day out, to join with fellow advocates, community members, legislators, and professionals to fight for every single Kansan who is waiting.
The wait will be eliminated. In doing so, Kansas will become better. People with IDD have a LOT to offer. We need to be supported so that we can be our best selves and live our best lives!
[Video description: Whit, a black woman with short, curly black hair wearing a red shirt jacket over a blue top, stands at a podium with many people seated behind her]
