Minnesotans, lawmakers in St. Paul protest federal cuts to disability funding
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Disability rights advocates rallied at the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday to protest cuts to programs and services.
Demonstrators said President Donald Trump has proposed actions that would jeopardize access to housing, health care and education for people with disabilities.
“This is an attack on human rights,” said Rep. Kim Hicks, a DFLer from Rochester. “It is an attack that is coordinated to ensure that people with disabilities go away. We’re staying in the community and we’re going to fight for the support we need to do that.”
The rally was organized by Arc Minnesota, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group worries budget cuts could impact or eliminate the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Minnesota Disability Law Center, the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, and Head Start.
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“All of these institutions have been built up over decades to help people with disabilities live a more independent life,” said Maren Christenson Hofer, an Arc Minnesota board member. “And what we’re seeing now is really this tidal wave of cuts to programs that is moving us in the wrong direction.”
Sen. Jim Abeler, a Republican from Anoka, also spoke at the rally. He is one of several lawmakers committed to bipartisanship around funding disability services and programs.
“This is not a political matter,” he said. “It’s a matter of priorities.”
Several people with disabilities echoed concerns that Trump’s actions will roll back progress made since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. A specific concern is around the dismantling of the Administration on Community Living, a federal agency that supports community living for older adults and people with disabilities. Prior to its existence, people with disabilities had few options outside large, state-run institutions.
Claudia Fuglie of Robbinsdale attended the rally with two friends. They all have spina bifida, a condition affecting the spine.
“There’s a lot of times society does not respect us and all we’re trying to do is be a part of the society,” she said. “We’re not doing anything different. We don’t want anything different. We just want to be respected.”
Sumukha Terakanambi serves on the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. He was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy at a young age and requires assistance with most physical tasks.
“It is really tiring to constantly have this conversation about how important these programs are and how they promote the well-being, independence and inclusion of people with disabilities,” Terakanambi said.
He said on top of the proposed cuts, the disability community has already been harmed by cuts to investments like rare disease research and special education. “These threats signal to us that some of our leaders in Washington believe that we are expendable, that we do not matter,” he said.
“Instead of letting these emotions stop us, we have decided to take a stand and come together and send a clear message to these federal lawmakers that people with disabilities do matter and we deserve to live a life, a fulfilling life with dignity.”