June 10, 2026
We would like to thank the New York City Council’s Committee on Finance for holding this important oversight hearing on the City’s FY2027 Executive Budget. My name is Chantall Lowe, and I am the Senior Director of Partner & Community Engagement at INCLUDEnyc. For more than 43 years, INCLUDEnyc (formerly known as Resources for Children with Special Needs) has helped hundreds of thousands of NYC families navigate the complex special education service and support systems.
While we celebrate the recent $11.5 million increase to the City Council Mental Health Services Initiatives, funding for the Autism Awareness Initiative has remained flat. After a $55,000 cut in FY24, funding remained at $3,261,846 through FY26.
To help providers address the rising costs of delivering these vital services, we urge the Council to provide a 3% human services COLA increase, bringing the total FY27 investment to $3,359,704.
This funding allows community-based organizations like INCLUDEnyc to support families in dire need. In FY2026 alone, our initiative-funded impact included:
- 1,200+ autism-related requests resolved by our Help Line staff, including 328 for children under the age of 5.
- 41 specialized workshops delivered to over 1,000 attendees.
- 550+ community members engaged during our 10th Anniversary of Outdoors for Autism on May 31st.
Thousands of students with disabilities are currently going without their legally mandated services. This systemic failure drives up costly due process special education litigation. It also drains resources away from integrated programs at schools, leading to many students being educated in segregated settings. While recent investments in preschool special education, District 75, and contracted related services are a step forward, they represent only a fraction of what is required.
We urge the Council to make robust, ongoing investments to:
- Hire additional evaluators to provide timely, legally mandated, and high-quality assessments for referred students.
- Close the Service Gap: Hire more school-based providers to reliably fulfill IEP-mandated services.
- Raise RSA Rates: Increase reimbursement rates for Related Services Authorizations (RSAs) so families can successfully secure independent providers when schools are short-staffed.
We must expand what works, restore programs at risk of immediate cuts, and modernize our infrastructure:
- Restore and Baseline Critical Programming: Protect essential initiatives facing cuts next month, specifically Sensory Exploration, Education & Discovery (SEED), Restorative Justice, and the Mental Health Continuum.
- Expand Student Support: Increase access to proven literacy interventions and independent travel training.
- Fund Physical Accessibility: Commit at least $450 million in the 2025–2029 Capital Plan to upgrade facilities. Currently, only one-third of NYC public school buildings are fully accessible to students, staff, and community members with physical disabilities.
Every student in New York City has a legal right to the evaluations, services, and programs that allow them to learn and thrive. We look forward to partnering with the City Council to ensure the FY2027 budget reflects that commitment.
Thank you for your time and leadership.
Sincerely,
Chantall Lowe
Senior Director Partner & Community Engagement