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 On March 5, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will hold its annual budget hearing for the public at Gardner Auditorium at the State House.  The hearings will begin at 10am and will be chaired by House and Senate Vice-Chairs of the Ways and Means Committee, Rep. L’Italien and Sen. Brewer. Other hearings will be held beginning on February 16 where Administration officials will present testimony.  read more ...

The Governor's budget incudes cuts to a range of line-items inside and outside DDS: residential, day/work, family support, transportation, DESE-DDS and MRC Extended Employment. It is evidence that the economic crisis continues to hurt people with disabilities by further fraying the Disability Services Safety Net. See link for complete analysis and detailed budget chart.  read more ...

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On December 4, Governor Patrick rescinded $100 Million in proposed MassHealth Cuts for this fiscal year (ending on June 30, 2010).  We urged constituents and friends to thank the governor for once again protecting most of the disability safety net.  On March 8, The Arc and ADDP sent a letter to the Governor urging him to keep us in mind as he crafts the 2011 budget.  Go to our budget section to read the letter and a recent article on the MassHealth cuts.
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The Vigil planned for outside the Governor's appearance at the S. Shore Chamber of Commerce today (and for the State House Thursday and Friday) has been canceled because the Governor has agreed to meet with disability advocates. Thanks to all who were planning to come. We will keep you apprised of the outcome.

 

In response to Governor Patrick’s Nov. 13 announcement of further cuts to critical disability services, advocates have been forced to re-start our “Vigil to save our Safety Net.” The vigil will launch Wednesday, November 18 at The Lantana Restaurant in Randolph, where the Governor will be speaking at a South Shore Chamber of Commerce lunch. It will continue Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20 at the Governor's Office in the State House.  

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In a disappointing turn of events and despite our best efforts, the Governor and his Administration have announced that they will address the $307 Million MassHealth budget gap with cuts to critical long-term disability services, including Day Habilitation, Dental and other services. Cuts translate into elimination of services or reductions of more than 20%. Take Action Below!  read more ...

The Governor last week stood up and made a courageous decision to largely protect disability services in the latest round of 9C cuts. While cuts in the range of $70 million to DDS were talked about, he ultimately cut just $7.7 million to DDS and $82 million to EOHHS. Use link below to thank him and his Administration.

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Today was the first day of the vigil at the offices of the Speaker and Senate President.  Covered by State House News, we understand that an individual who is served by Riverside was interviewed by Channel 7 News!  Thank you to the many families, individuals and staff who attended.  We also want to acknowledge the agencies that provided support and answered questions of participants including Advocates, Road to Responsibility, Mass. Families Organizing for Change, Bay Cove Human Services, TILL, Riverside Community Care and The Arc of Gr. Haverhill and Newburyport. Don't forget to bring a towel or blanket in case you have to sit on the floor.  Also, visit your representative and senator while you're there!
The "read more" link will take you to our main budget page, where on the upper right hand side there are three new links---our last vigil update at the Gov's office, a fact sheet that explains our serious shortfall in revenue and talking points for the current vigil and beyond! Look to the upper right hand side of the page.
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Because of the great success of our Vigil to save our Safety Net - while we didn't get any assurances from the Governor, it was very evident that he felt the pressure, and the media helped us get the word out to the public - we are launching the 2^nd Phase of our "Vigil to save our Safety Net." On Monday, the recently completed vigil at the Governor's Office will move to the Offices of the Senate President and Speaker of the House.   The vigil continues to focus on the serious crisis facing thousands of people with disabilities whose services are slated to be slashed due to the budget crisis.   read more ...

H2241, An Act Relative to Impaired Drivers, as currently written would unintentionally target people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), leading to unfounded reports against capable drivers. It would put an unwarranted burden on people with disabilities to prove their fitness to drive beyond what is expected of other drivers. However, The Arc believes that this bill could be infinitely improved and the risk of discrimination would be greatly limited with the inclusion of two provisions. See below for The Arc’s comprehensive fact sheet.

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Tim Evans, whose brother has a disability, is setting out to climb all 48 four-thousand+ foot mountains within the White Mountains chain over the next year and a half on behalf of people with disabilities. By doing this, he intends to raise awareness about developmental disabilities and collect donations for The Arc. Please show him your support and help his goal to raise money for disability awareness. See the link below to visit his Facebook page and contribute.

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