By KELLY WILSON
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Dave and Ceil Dix know what they want for their 16-year-old daughter, Heather, who has Down syndrome and autism and will never be able to live alone, even as an adult.
"I would like her to live in a group home some day. If something would happen to us, I don't want our youngest daughter to feel responsible to take care of her," Ceil said.
"I'd like to see her hold some sort of a job, to function in a job environment ... and to be happy," Dave said.
They've been counting on Transitions of Western Illinois to play an integral role in meeting those goals. But recently, they've become more anxious about what Heather's future -- and their future -- will hold.
Transitions is facing significant cuts in state funding this year, and if a solution isn't found, vital services for people in the area with developmental disabilities and mental health problems will be cut.
The Dixes hope the funding crisis is resolved by the time Heather needs services, but they're understandably worried.
"With a child like this, you have to think far ahead, but it's hard to plan now," Ceil said. "Years ago you'd never worry about it. But what if the day comes there's not anything at all? It's a thing you have to think about all the time, 'What if? What if?' "
Heather will go to Quincy High School until she's 21. After graduation, her parents want her to transition into a day developmental training program at Transitions, a service that provides social skills training, independent living skills training, vocational training and community integration activities.
There's already a waiting list for those services because of inadequate state funding.
"It's scary," Ceil said.
Ceil works at State Street Bank and Dave is a gravedigger, and if the Transitions program wouldn't be available for Heather, "it would be a big crisis if it would happen," Ceil said. "One of us might have to quit our job. That would be hard on us, and hard on Heather to stay home all the time."
Leaving Heather alone during the day while the two of them are at work isn't an option.
"She can't problem solve," Dave said.
"She couldn't pick up the telephone if she needed help. She wouldn't realize what an emergency was," Ceil said. Even if she could stay home alone, they wouldn't want that for their daughter.
"At home, she'll watch TV and she'll have no socialization," Ceil said.
Another worry is whether a spot in a group home for the developmentally disabled, ideally operated by Transitions in Quincy, will be available for Heather down the road.
A residential facility like that would enable Heather to be as independent as possible with 24-hour supervision when her parents can no longer care for her at home.
The Dixes know they're not alone.
"There's a lot of families out there it's going to hit hard," Ceil said of state budget cuts. "People have to realize how important Transitions is to families."
-- kwilson@whig.com/221-3391
