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Westchester Arc
The Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center
265 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.949.9300
info@westchesterarc.org
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Self-Advocates Speak Up About Proposed Budget Cuts
On November 9th, over 75 self-advocates from the Hudson Valley attended an important event sponsored by the Self-Advocacy Association of NYS and held at the training facilities of Westchester Arc in Hawthorne, NY. They joined together to show that individuals with developmental disabilities have a strong voice and can speak up for themselves on important issues that affect their lives.
One of the important issues that these self-advocates focused their attention upon was the Deficit Reduction Plan for 2009-2010 that Governor Patterson has proposed and how the cuts of OMRDD services will affect the quality of the lives of self-advocates across New York State.
Click on the link below to see a video of the event and watch self-advocates express their feelings about the proposed budget cuts.
The message from these self-advocates is clear: "Do not cut OMRDD funds! Do not cut the supports we need to live in our communities."
Self-advocates understand that NYS is experiencing a severe budget crisis, but cutting essential OMRDD services in a broad and arbitrary fashion is not the answer. Let's all work together to find a better and more equitable solution to the NYS budget situation.