The top three reasons for workers applying for CT Paid Leave benefits are their own serious health condition, bonding with a new child, and caring for a loved one. For workers whose loved one has a developmental disability, paid leave can be a lifeline allowing them to maintain their employment while giving their loved one the assistance they need. Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavioral areas. These conditions begin during a child’s developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime. Most developmental disabilities begin before a baby is born, but some can happen after birth because of injury, infection, or other factors. The Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities estimates that about 1.2 percent of the state’s population (or roughly 43,000 people) live with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities like Down Syndrome and autism.

“Many people living with developmental disabilities live happy and productive lives with the support of community programs, health professionals, their friends and their families,” said Erin Choquette, CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority. “Paid leave helps by providing income replacement for them and their caregivers when they have to take time off to receive care. Caregivers aren’t always parents — they could be a grandparent, a sibling, or a best friend. Connecticut’s paid leave program recognizes that family comes in many forms and thus allows for caregivers related by blood or affinity to receive paid leave benefits.”

According to the Annual Report on People with Disabilities in America, the gap in the “employment-to-population ratio” between people (civilians 18–64 years old living in the community) with and without disabilities was 34.4 percent in 2022 and the gap in “median earnings from work” between people (civilians 18–64 years old living in the community and working full-time, full-year) with and without disabilities was $8,331 in 2022. Finally, the gap in the “poverty rate” between people (civilians 18–64 years old living in the community) with and without disabilities was 14.3 percent in 2022. In short, people with disabilities experience challenges in terms of employment, earnings and poverty when compared to the rest of the population.

“As a mom of a child with Down Syndrome, I know that the life expectancy in the 1980s was 25 and now folks are living to be 60 years old plus,” said Kandi Pickard, CEO and president of the National Down Syndrome Society. “What that means to me is that we have a critical role in providing resources, supports and just avenues for families to live a long life. Caregivers are now dealing with their own aging. We’ve got to help find some gaps there, to provide support for them. Paid leave is an excellent example of just such a program.”

This article was written by Jessica Vargas, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at CT Paid Leave.