For parents of special needs children, seeking government assistance is a constant battle

Yes&Know By Aline Yamashita

I shook my head as I read “Lack of Awareness Month” by Mar-Vic Cagurangan and “Navigating the DISID Labyrinth” by Tim Rohr in the April 2026 issue of the Pacific Island Times.

The pleading, the begging, the negotiating, the waiting, more waiting, the invisible feeling, the angst and the frustration that parents are too familiar with.

More concerning to the parent is the wondering, the wanting, the isolation and exclusion of our kids, who we want to be independent, self-reliant and happy like all other kids.

Kids we raise. Kids we support. Kids we teach to follow the rules, to try their best and be themselves. But they need support to realize their God-given potential.

Civil rights, Supreme Court rulings and federal and local laws have evolved to ensure people with disabilities are provided with the support they need to be included, integrated, supported and celebrated.

Ten percent of the Guam population has a disability. Thirty-four percent of children today are on the autism spectrum.   

Our local law mandates that 2 percent of our agency budgets be allocated to people with severe disabilities. If the individual needs a job coach, one needs to be provided.

The mission of the Guam Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities' is to provide needed support. Dismally, they fail. Repeatedly.

Not due to a lack of funds, but due to a lack of leadership. Due to a lack of belief in the very people they are paid to help. Due to a lack of collaborative, interconnected action points that ensure the individual has specific accommodations needed to realize their potential. Due to a lack of a systemic framework that delivers needed outcomes.

I have called for the shutdown of the Department of Individuals with Disabilities, the parent agency of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. For the DVR to always return federal funds when hundreds of people need that support is criminal. 

We go from an Individualized Education Plan to an Individualized Plan for Employment. These plans set timelines that often do not reflect the reality of our kids. Their disabilities do not evaporate. They may shift, but they do not go away.

There are many parents who would not have it any other way. They love their children just the way they are. I am not as noble. I love my son, who has been an invaluable teacher to me. But if I could have him enjoy life without all the struggles and hassles, I would take that. In a heartbeat.

It is no exaggeration that every week or so, someone reaches out. Can you help us understand these documents? What does it really mean? Who do I speak with? Nobody is speaking to us. What do we do?

Often, the families reaching out are just starting their journey. While we focus on the early years, I always encourage families to start thinking about high school and beyond. I advise them to keep a close eye on what their child likes to do and get them into work settings during their sophomore and junior years, so they get hired after high school.

Maybe after the election, the next administration will hire the right people: those who know grant writing, who will support the DISID counselors, who will work with the Guam Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Public Health and Social Services, the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service and nonprofits.

Maybe the next administration will have leaders who believe in people with disabilities. Maybe.

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And this is where parents like Mar-Vic and Tim are really needed. Make the noise. Be the pain. Believe that your dream will be realized.

The Social Security Administration rejected our disability support application for Eric, saying he is not disabled. When I shared this experience, folks asked if I would fight.

Fight? That is the story of our lives, that’s all we do. Tell our story, repeat our story, repeat some more. 

Lack-of-awareness life.

Perhaps the growing number of people being diagnosed will become a rainbow. We hope, we fight, we insist, we pray.

Thankfully, families are stubborn and insistent. Thankfully.

Aline Yamashita is a mom, a teacher and former senator. She served in the 31st and 32nd Guam Legislatures. Send feedback to aline4families@gmail.com.

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