ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Cuts are coming to the Developmental Disabilities Administration budget, and advocates are racing to get the funding restored with just three weeks left for changes.
Advocates for self-directed services rallied, hoping legislators hear their plea and restore the funding. They say the cuts risk safety and stability for members of the DDA community.
"This system is being pushed into instability and when you begin to destabilize this system the consequences are unavoidable and immediate for everyone involved," Karen Smith with Concerned Citizens for Self Direction Maryland said.
Developmental Disabilities community rallies to have funding cuts restored
Former Baltimore Orioles player and Hall of Famer BJ Surhoff spoke at the rally. Surhoff is an advocate for the autism community and has a son on the spectrum. He also uses the self-directed services program.
"To the legislators, Maryland has been a leader in supporting individuals with developmental disabilities but we must protect the progress. We must not roll it back," Surhoff said.
Among the biggest issues are cuts to wages for family members who get compensated for being full-time caretakers. The compensation allows people to quit their jobs and dedicate their lives to caring for their children.
"Every single one of our board members is a family as staff. We cannot take this wage cut, we're going to have to go back to work and it's going to hurt our entire community," Amy Masser with Maryland Cool Kids said.
The funding cuts have seen some restoration. The Senate restored $24 million out of the $150 million proposed to be cut, but advocates say that is not enough.
The budget now sits in the House of Delegates, who will bring it to the floor on Wednesday.
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