Like many cities in the Northeast, Pennsylvania’s urban centers have been losing population for decades.  Everywhere, the sad cycle of population loss is accompanied by loss of tax revenues, federal programs, jobs and crumbling infrastructure.  But Reading, Pennsylvania, whose railroad was made famous by the board game Monopoly, is beating the odds with explosive growth, largely from the burgeoning Latino population, which now comprises approximately 40 percent of the city’s residents.

The steady influx of Latinos to Reading began in the 1970s. Many families came to Reading from Puerto Rico, where adaptive equipment, advanced special education therapies and orthopedic clinics were less available. Reading is located between Philadelphia and Hershey, an area that boasts a multitude of disability service providers.

As the demand for services grew, local hospitals were able to recruit bilingual surgeons, cardiologists and other specialists to give Reading’s medical community a distinguished international standing. Many families made huge sacrifices to bring their family members to an area where they could get treatment. One young policeman’s family from Ponce, Puerto Rico, sold everything they owned to bring their four-year-old son to Hershey Medical Center to obtain a customized wheelchair. They settled in Reading because of its affordable housing and the nearby orthopedic services at Hershey.

The availability of quality medical and disability services helped spark the revitalization of this city. Reading has an active Center for Independent Living, Abilities in Motion (http://www.abilitiesinmotion.org/), that provides services in English and Spanish to more than 800 people with disabilities in the region. Services include peer counseling, youth services, civil rights education, benefits consultation, independent living skills training and more.  Reading also is an attractive location to people with disabilities for other reasons. “Housing and the cost of living in general are much cheaper in Reading than in neighboring cities such as New York and Philadelphia,” Joe Ayala, the Director of Marketing for Reading’s Centro Hispano (Hispanic Center)” explains. “Work is plentiful, with agricultural work just outside the city as well as skilled and professional work in town. It seems new families are moving to the area every day.”

Reading’s young and growing population has been a boon for the city. More schools are being built and bilingual teachers are being recruited. The growing population has increased the value of real estate and expanded the tax base. Nevertheless, city government and employers have done a mixed job of accommodating the growing Latino community. For example, it is difficult to find bilingual, bicultural help for public services.

Reading’s Hispanic Center
The Hispanic Center (http://www.centrohispano.org/) grew out of disappointment from members of the Latino community who felt neglected – or even excluded – from city services. The staff of the Hispanic Center works in the community to help individuals participate in community service agencies and their programs.

They provide translation, education and job services on site.  Staff members also help individuals with transportation to and from appointments. Senior citizen services, medical clinics, mental health and mental retardation services and a host of other programs are available at the Center. Representatives from universities, hospitals, financial institutions and employers support and participate in the Center’s programs which are more accessible to Latinos community members including peole with disabilities, than other city services. The Hispanic Center has benefited from the help of outside groups, such as National Council of La Raza, the Department of Justice, and Friends of Farmworkers who have provided support to the organization over the years.

Many Latinos with disabilities didn’t know what services were available or where to start in terms of job development and disability training services. In response, Ayala says, “We set up an access center right here, with links to the state’s Careerlink and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. We’re working to establish a Latino Chamber of Commerce for Reading,” he adds, “bringing together Hispanic professionals to help build the economy.”

The Hispanic Center has fulfilled many needs in the community, but other issues have not yet been addressed. Ayala says, “There’s still a lot of need in special education.  Latino children make up 58 percent of Reading’s school district population. There are services, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done there.”

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