One woman, Arasay Peñate, shared her experiences as a parent of a special needs child. Three years ago, she arrived in Little Havana from Cuba with her son, who she had not known was autistic but has since been diagnosed, in the hopes of being able to pursue her studies to make a better life for her son. When the pandemic froze childcare back in March, she had to make the impossible decision of choosing between her son and her job. She didn’t have anyone who could take care of her son while she worked and her husband also works two jobs.

Now, her and her husband are both out of jobs, funds from her stimulus check have run out, expenses continue to pile on and neither their unemployment or food stamps applications have been processed. This burden has been felt by thousands of newly unemployed parents across the state – a reflection of just how hard of a toll the pandemic has taken on many, even more so for parents of children with disabilities.