- I am Sandra Atkins and I not only support the comments from The Arc of Northern Virginia but I completely agree with every concern they have. I have a daughter who is 27 years old and has Down Syndrome. I am her live-in caretaker. I also manage all the services she receives. I work with DMAS, the Social Security Administration and her health insurance to constantly document her physical, emotional and safety needs to make sure she is maintaining the services she desperately needs. I am so grateful that we have the services to support my daughter’s quality of life. As her parent, I am constantly advocating for all the services she receives. This year has been very taxing because of all the new changes that have already been put in place. Having more changes and hurtles put in place to continue these services that she has qualified for years makes my job as her parent and live-in caregiver even harder. I am asking DMAS to truly understand what parents and guardians of people living with severe disabilities have to undergo to safely take care of their child. Adding extra limitations in a short amount of time with limited guidance is going to create extra hardship, stress and possible failure for the parents taking care of their child.