AUSTIN, Texas — On May 14, more than a dozen members of disability rights organizations including ADAPT and PACT held a two-day vigil outside the Governor’s Mansion in Austin. The group’s demands included increased wages and benefits for all medical attendees, more affordable living options and easier access to durable medical equipment.

Members of ADAPT and PACT held a two-day vigil outside the Governor's Mansion in Austin demanding a meeting to discuss improving disability rights across Texas. (Spectrum News 1/Dylan Scott)

Josue Rodriguez is a community organizer who traveled from El Paso to share his growing concerns for communities living with disabilities.

“We’re tired of the generic email responses of we understand the issue, but nothing gets done and that’s why we’re out here today,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t know how difficult it is for him, but day-to-day, it’s difficult for people with disabilities to get the assistance we need.”

For more than 300,000 caregivers, including veterans of the field like Cathy Cranston, fatigue and a lack of funding is causing a workforce shortage in the thousands, already causing a troubling ripple effect across the state. 

“You have to pay them a livable wage. $10.60, you can’t live on that an hour,” Cranston said. “The governor gets to decide if he wants to pay for workforce services in the community, or do I want to pay for what it’ll cost in an institution?”

Last year, Austin-based state Rep. Donna Howard brought bipartisan legislation forth to increase pay for these health care professionals. While the goal fell almost $5 short, she believes with a potential impact to 3.5 million Texans, there’s hope funding will come.

State Rep. Donna Howard brought bipartisan legislation last session and believes attendant pay raises need to extend $10.60 or the state could face a dangerous caregiver shortage. (Spectrum News 1/Dylan Scott)

“We could do this if we wanted to make it a priority,” Howard said. “Eventually, we will see our way to do this. The fact Senator Perry and I carried this, a Republican in the Senate and Democrat in the House, working together, finding common values and goals, it can be done.”

While an audience with the governor on the topic might not come until January, advocates like Rodriguez won’t stop fighting for those in dire need of assistance.

“There are a lot of us with disabilities and it’s becoming frustrating to try to support someone in power that is not listening to our concerns,” Rodriguez said.