Disabilities services providers and advocates rally to protest budget cuts

By Ellie Wilkinson

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Joyce Herrington, 60, has lived in her own apartment for 35 years with help from Onondaga Community Living, a Syracuse nonprofit that provides services to adults with developmental disabilities. But Herrington, of East Syracuse, believes proposed state budget cuts could make it a lot harder for her to maintain her independence.

“The cuts could affect aid and the way aid is asked to help us out. We want things to stay as they are,” Herrington said.

Herrington was one of more than 100 protesters who gathered outside the State Office Building in downtown Syracuse today to protest Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent proposal to slash $120 million from programs and services that benefit people with disabilities. 

Individuals with developmental disabilities, family members and employees of several local nonprofits, including Arc of Onondaga, Onondaga Community Living andEnable, attended the rally. As protesters gathered on the sidewalk, many waved neon signs reading, “Don’t cut our lifelines!” and “Your cuts will hurt me! I am scared.”

Cuomo’s proposed budget cut would reduce funding to all disabilities service providers by 6 percent.

This reduction would come on top of the 9 percent cut, totaling $250 million, that has impacted developmental disabilities services in the past few years.

Prudence York, executive director of Enable, a disabilities service agency, said that Cuomo’s most recent proposed cuts would reduce Enable’s budget by $540,000, which would greatly affect the more than 1,500 individuals Enable helps each year. In Onondaga County, York estimated that the cuts would total $3.6 million.

“The agencies that serve people with disabilities have already had 9 percent cuts over the past three years,” York said. “While it’s a difficult job being the governor, I don’t think it’s fair to look at the services to the people who are most vulnerable citizens to bear a 15 percent cut.”

One protester, Martin Tiller, 27, said that Enable’s help is the reason he is able to live in his own apartment.

“It’s the money that keeps me going from day to day. It pays the rent, heat, electrical bill,” he said. “It was such a big deal to open the door to my apartment. I relished it," he said.

Hal and Ruth Brown, of Camillus, also said that Enable made a difference in their daughter Betsy’s life.

“We have a disabled daughter who for 24 years has been with Enable,” said Hal Brown, a former state assemblyman who served in the government for 14 years. “This is uncalled for.”

“Betsy receives a certain amount from Enable for living expenses, rent and mortgage. If that’s cut back, we’d have to change the way she lives,” Ruth added.

Pat Fratangelo, executive director of Onondaga Community Living, underscored how the budget cuts could greatly affect the day-to-day lives of individuals with disabilities.

“These people were not institutionalized. They were ordinary people living their lives,” she said. “Why should they take the brunt of what happened?”

Sally Johnson, president of Disabled in Action of Greater Syracuse, kicked off the rally at noon and introduced the speakers.

“We are here to send a message to the governor. The message is: Stop cutting our services. Governor Cuomo, we voted for you, and you better remember this,” Johnson said. Her statement was met with loud cheers from the protesters and honking horns from passing cars.

Several speakers, including Jeannine Nolan of Arc of Onondaga, Agnes McCray of ARISE and Alex Lupole, who receives services from Onondaga Community Living, took the podium to criticize Cuomo’s budget cuts and explain how it would personally affect those with developmental disabilities. In between speakers, protesters waved their signs and loudly chanted, “No more cuts.”

The rally ended at 12:30 p.m. and protesters quickly disbanded and cleared the sidewalk.

The Democratic majority in the state Assembly and the coalition controlling the state Senate have indicated that they are planning to propose restoring the money that the governor wants to cut. They may release their proposal as early as today.

Legislators must adopt a budget plan by April 1, but they are aiming to finish by March 21, before Passover and Easter. 

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