All of you have probably heard about the State of Illinois' proposed budget cuts to avoid a tax increase. While none of us want to pay more taxes, some of the cuts that our representatives are suggesting are going to be extremely detrimental to a lot of people in this state.
Illinois is currently ranked 51st (yes, even below Washington DC) in funding for Developmental Disabilities. With the current budget proposal, our state funding will be cut by an additional 75 percent.
My nephew Scott Deters, from Teutopolis, was born with Cerebral Palsy. He has very limited muscular control. He is confined to a wheelchair and cannot talk, but is extremely intelligent (always the first one to get a joke), very determined and extremely social. It makes it all the more frustrating for him; imagine having a strong mind trapped in a body that you have very little control over. His family (especially his mother, my sister Cindy) takes care of all of his physical needs - feeding, personal hygiene, getting him from place to place, etc.
After he graduated from high school, Cindy spent endless hours with paperwork and phone calls to get Scott access to services, many of which are provided by ARC Community Support Systems in Teutopolis. For the last year, Scott has been going to work three days a week at the Developmental Training (DT) Center. He receives funding from Home Based Support Systems (HBSS), which provides the funds for him to work at the DT Center.
Also, if a time comes when Cindy needs extra help with Scott at home, he would be able to receive Respite Care, which is money that can be used to hire support workers - for things such as care at home, assistance on jobs, going to appointments, etc. This too will be lost if this budget cut goes through.
If Scott loses all this, his life is going to change drastically. There is nowhere else he can go to work and he will spend most of his time at home, with Cindy trying to find something with which Scott can occupy his time. He already spends endless hours terribly bored and frustrated because of his physical limitations. He loves the time he gets at the DT Center, and is broken-hearted when he can't go for some reason. It will absolutely crush him if he can never again go to the work that he loves and be with the people that he so enjoys.
Scott is only one example of the many people who will be affected by this budget cut. I'm sure there are many others that will face even greater challenges. I can't bear to think of those who may not be able to keep their homes or get the medication they need.
Also 180,000 Human Services employees will lose their jobs if the current budget proposal goes through.
Please contact the government officials listed below and ask them to stop or change the proposed budget cuts. And, most importantly, pray for the wisdom and compassion of the individuals who have the power to change the proposed budget before it goes into effect.
Governor Pat Quinn, 217-782-0244, www.illinois.gov/GOV/contactthegovernor.cfm; Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, 217-782-5350, mmadigan@hds.ilga.gov; Senator John O. Jones, 618-242-9511, johnojones@sbcglobal.net; Representative David Reis, 618-392-0108, david@davidreis.org; Senator Dale Righter, 217-235-6033, drighter@consolidated.net; and Representative Roger Eddy, 618-563-4128, reddyunit1@aol.com.
Please don't delay. State Congress is in session Tuesday, June 23 and is holding the final vote on the budget on Wednesday, July 1.
If you don’t know Scott, I’d like to tell you that he’s the most goodhearted, wonderful person I know. He doesn’t deserve this. And neither do the hundreds of other disabled individuals in our community alone.
Amy Jansen
Effingham, IL
Effingham, Ill. —
