Less Than One Week Until Disability Days on the Hill

Our celebration of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month kicks off next Wednesday as we head to Nashville for the West Tennessee Disability Days on the Hill. Disability Days seeks to empower people with disabilities, their families, and friends, offering a unique opportunity for constituents to connect with their legislators to discuss issues important to their families and the disability community.

Our main focus will likely be preserving Tennessee’s Family Support Program. The Family Support Program has endured pretty significant budget cuts and it looks like more may be coming in 2009. This is the only state program that gives money to individuals and family members with disabilities. There is already a notable shortage of services for the disability community in TN. With a small program like Family Support receiving cuts, this does nothing but harm the disability community at large.

We would like every legislator to hear from someone in their community. Since not everyone can make the trip to Nashville, we encourage you to reach out to your legislators this month with phone calls, emails, or maybe a personal visit in your hometown. Click here to find your legislator.

As a community, the general public must join together to develop and implement public policies that will promote individual worth, self respect, and dignity so that each individual is valued as a contributing member and citizen of its community.

Middle Tennessee Disability Days on the Hill is Wednesday, March 4th, and East Tennessee is Wednesday, March 11th. For more information, please visit the Tennessee Disability Coalition.