Dear PWDF family, friends, colleagues and supporters:

It is that time of year again when we give thanks for all that we have in our lives – our loved ones, our health, our jobs, and our homes.  For many people, this time of year is harder than others because they simply do not have the bare necessities that most of us take for granted – nor are they able to effectively find the help they need to improve their situations.

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that last year (2015) 43.4 million adults in the U.S., or 17.9%, had a mental illness, with 9.8 million estimated to have a severe mental illness.[¹]  PWDF is one of the few organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area aimed at helping this population, i.e., individuals with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities, through legal representation and educating the public. Starting next year, PWDF hopes to initiate a grant-giving program. We promote social change to guarantee that individuals with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities can achieve equal opportunities in all aspects of life.

As a §501(c)(3) public operating nonprofit organization, PWDF can only continue to do its important work with the help and support of individuals such as you.  With the help of your tax-deductible contributions, PWDF can continue to provide legal assistance and public education to help individuals such as John (not his real name)…

John has autism spectrum disorder with psychotic features, depression, and an intellectual disability (low IQ and 6th grade reading level).  John is learning to shop by himself and manage his own finances.  He requires several on-going supports, including an independent life skills (ILS) trainer, on-going outpatient care including psychotherapy, and occasional job coaches, in order to function at home and in the workplace.  In spite of these limitations, John is able to live independently in supportive housing and enjoys his part-time job.

When we first met John, he had been receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), however, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had wrongly reduced and then terminated his SSI check benefits.  The SSA claimed that John’s employment made him eligible for less money in his monthly checks; meanwhile, he paid his ILS trainer out of his own pocket. SSA had sent John “double” notices because he was on both SSI and SSDI and working or trying to work, but he could not understand the notices.  PWDF engaged in lengthy litigation on John’s behalf, resulting in SSA agreeing to take John’s disabilities into account in calculating his entitlement and eligibility for benefits and to provide him with reasonable accommodations in accessing program services.  Subsequently, SSA revised its work review form so that it better addressed mental impairments, benefiting beneficiaries nationwide.  John has been able to maintain his employment for over 10 years, to the extent that he no longer receives SSI checks.  We are proud of our role in helping John and other people with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities achieve better economic security and live independently.

PWDF invites you to join us in our mission to ensure that individuals with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities receive the assistance they need.  PWDF relies on the tax-deductible contributions of generous individuals such as you. We invite you to become a part of PWDF’s goodwill journey by making a donation today via mail or online here.

We thank you for your continued support and wish you and yours a very pleasant holiday season.

Sincerely,

April Banerjee, Executive Director

People With Disabilities Foundation