March 2010

Crisis as Opportunity: State Schools

The Texas budget is facing a massive shortfall. In a state that prides itself on low taxes, where candidates for governor compete over how cheap their administration's Texas will be, we can't expect much revenue to be raised. Yet health and human services are intelligent ways to invest in our citizens. Our state leaders should heed the advice of HHSC Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs, who often mentions his reluctance to cut "cost-effective community services". Services delivered in the community are considerably less costly than those delivered in institutions. Despite Suehs' comments, Texas spends a lot of money on institutional care. We should re-balance our system and place more of our taxpayer dollars in cost-effective community services. Texas maintains a hugely expensive network of 13 state supported living centers, formerly state schools, for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These institutions have been protected since the early 90s, although the number of residents since then has dropped and is projected to fall further. The entire system is being monitored by the US Department of Justice for abuse, neglect, and exploitation of its residents. The time has come to consolidate to an appropriate number of institutions.

The Texas of 2010 has no room for sacred cows. CTD's Crisis as Opportunity advocacy campaign will continue to advocate for smart spending: increase where there is need, invest in citizens that yield strong returns, and cut where warranted. CTD will be publishing smart public policy strategies throughout 2010. Stay tuned.

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Census

Starting in March, the 2010 Census forms will begin appearing in mail boxes across Texas. Some people or groups may have reservations about turning over their demographic information to the federal government, but CTD encourages you to send in your Census form. The Census informs our government about how to allocate over $400 billion per year in federal funding. Census data can and will directly affect the quality of life for Texans with disabilities and their families through improvements in health care, education, and community-based and social service programs.

Because Texas was able to weather the recent financial downturn better than most states, it has become the most popular relocation destination around the U.S. Our population has skyrocketed while other states populations' have drastically decreased. This means that there are a lot more Texans now than when the last census was taken ten years ago. This population influx could have great benefits for old and new Texans: higher numbers will result in more federal dollars to a variety of services and programs. On the other hand, if information about our state's demographics is under-reported, fewer federal dollars will have to support more citizens.

Don't let our government make decisions based on an inaccurate 2010 Census population of Texans with disabilities! Please make sure to fill out your census forms, mail them in by April 1, and be COUNTED! For more information, visit the 2010 Census Homepage by clicking here.

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CTD’s William Greer Named News 8 Athlete of the Week

Last fall, CTD staffer William Greer founded a running team, the ConTenDers, to help raise awareness about athletes with disabilities and to promote CTD members' participation in local running events. The team, composed of people both with and without disabilities, has run in various races in Austin and has performed quite well! In fact, William was featured on a News 8 Austin Sports segment for his participation in the Austin Marathon in February. If you haven't already seen it, visit this link to watch the video..

William hasn't let all this fame and glory go to his head, though; he's only thinking about the next ConTenDer event! For a run-down of all the ConTenDers' past races, select this link to visit our webpage and to stay current with ConTenDers happenings, join our facebook group at www.facebook.com/ctdcontenders. If you enjoy running, athletic events, or just being outside, join the ConTenDers! Whether you're pounding the pavement alongside us or cheering us on from the sidelines, we'd love to have support as we promote athletic participation by people with disabilities.

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