BALTIMORE — Thousands of people have signed a petition urging Maryland lawmakers to restore cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration ahead of a special legislative session confirmed for Aug. 3.
Families and advocates spent months fighting to reverse the cuts during the regular legislative session, ultimately without success. Now, with the special session approaching, they are making another push. Advocates acknowledge the effort faces long odds, as lawmakers are expected to focus primarily on redistricting.
The cuts have been paused but not eliminated.
Disability advocates petition to restore developmental disability cuts
Shari Dexter, co-leader of Concerned Citizens of Self Direction, said the stakes are high for people who rely on the program.
"This DDA issue with the cuts is a monumental issue it's going to effect thousands of people, thousands of participants and their teams. We know that there's going to be a devastating impact in terms of loss of staff, risks to health and safety of the participants," Dexter said.
Dexter said the challenges facing families go beyond what is written in the legislation.
"It seems like at every turn there seems to be more cutbacks than what's just in the legislation," Dexter said.
Shari Bailey, founder of Laila's Gift, said the burden on families caring for loved ones with disabilities is constant and cannot be understated.
"It's not something that turns off after 8 hours. Disability doesn't turn off after 8 hours, after a workday. Disability is 24/7. When you're a person that is working, how are you supposed to manage? Caring for a loved one, 24/7, medications, therapies, all of these things. It really needs attention, and I am very confident that the administration will take a second look at this," Bailey said.
Advocates say they have been in contact with lawmakers in an effort to get the issue addressed during the special session. With the fiscal year budget already settled, however, a reversal of the cuts appears unlikely.
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