Low Wages Are Driving a Shortage of Care Providers. Now Elders and the Disabled Face a Crisis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 14 percent of Americans have developmental disabilities like Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism. The rates of such disabilities are on a steady rise, and some members of these populations need services to develop skills, live independently and accomplish goals. California faces a severe shortage of direct service professionals who offer this assistance due to low wages, high costs of living and demanding working conditions. People like Alyssa Wade, 19, who works with developmentally disabled clients of Strategies to Empower People (STEP) in the Sacramento, Calif. area, are fighting back.