See Barbara Pritchard’s excellent letter to the editor in the State Journal Register!
Tony
Concerned about Rauner’s plans to balance the budget
Feb. 9, 2015 at 10:05 PM
I have been a resident of Champaign-Urbana for more than 40 years and have
worked as a statewide disability rights advocate for 30-plus years.
I have concerns as I watch Gov. Bruce Rauner begin to make changes in Illinois.
As I listened to the State of the State address, I was pleased that he wants to
strengthen Illinois in the arena of business and has pledged to support seniors.
“However, I sincerely hope he will not cause harm to the disability community
through cuts to programs that the non-disabled community might deem “non-
essential.”
As a person with a disability, I’m afraid of cuts to programs like home services,
where individuals are provided in-home supports for daily living activities: food
prep, dressing,cleaning and shopping. These are essential supports enabling
individuals to stay out of institutions, thus saving the state thousands of dollars.
I fear that years of progress in rebalancing the developmental disability services
to make Illinois less dependent on state-run institutions and give people with
significant disabilities an opportunity to live in the community will be lost.
Countless studies have shown it is cheaper and the quality of life is better for
an individual with a developmental disability to live in the community rather than
an institution.
Illinois already ranks 48th in the United States in providing community services.
We should be strengthening these home and community services, not writing
them off as “non-essential.” What may be deemed unnecessary by some are
obviously essential” for others.
Barbara Pritchard
Urbana
See more at: http://www.sjr.com/article/20150209/OPINION/150209492/2011/
OPINION#sthash.fggCVKcj.dpuf.
Tony Paulauski Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org
