Advocates at Bronx conference press for more early-intervention funding and medical equipment access

At the 38th annual Bronx Individual and Family Support Conference in Van Nest, Bronx, self-advocates, family members and service providers called for increased funding for early intervention services and for medical equipment such as wheelchairs, saying recent contractions in Medicaid support have reduced staffing and service capacity.

Daniel Lanzetta, president of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State, said he benefited from early intervention services. “It teaches you how to communicate with the world around you. It teaches you the basics of what it is to be a part of your community and you carry it with you in what you do every day,” Lanzetta said, describing early intervention as foundational to participation later in life.

Advocate, author and Miss Wheelchair America 2026 Lctavia Sturdivvent described how equipment shortages affect everyday life and livelihoods. Speaking about her wheelchair, she said she was born with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia and that without reliable access to equipment she cannot work as a licensed speech-language pathologist, teach at Lehman College or host her podcast. “This is literally my legs,” Sturdivvent said.

Conference presenters and attendees said those individual experiences reflect broader gaps created by recent Medicaid funding changes. “There are contractions in the funding for Medicaid. And so we are losing out on supporting staff adequately to serve the population and so there's less funding available for that,” one presenter said, summarizing concerns raised across panels.

Christopher Grief, a New York City Transit Writers Council representative and self-advocate, described his advocacy work in Albany and said he will continue pressing elected officials to address transportation and service funding shortfalls. “I said I'm going to cause grief now to every elected official,” Grief said, describing repeated outreach to lawmakers about budget priorities.

Organizers said the conference also served as a networking opportunity: dozens of agencies set up tables to connect attendees with resources and program information. Government officials were invited to listen and to speak, offering advocates a direct line to policymakers, speakers said.

The conference emphasized that early intervention, reliable medical equipment and sustained Medicaid support are necessary for people with disabilities to access education, employment and community life. Reporting from Van Nest, Satrice McQueen of Bronx Net covered the event.