Governor Pat Quinn's proposed budget cuts could affect the disabled. The Circuit Breaker program that is currently in place is worth about $107 Million. Pat Quinn has proposed that we cut this in order to use the money elsewhere.
Personally, I am very thankful for government funding toward families with disabled persons. Care for a disabled child and especially adult can be very costly. Parents are forced to always be thinking and planning ahead for their children. Most parents are working towards a certain level of independence for their child, which usually means putting them in some sort of assisted living or group home. Doing this is very costly and parents are also often forced to worry about what will happen after they die if their child is still living. Ian Brown, while talking about his new memoir "The Boy and the Moon," said that care for his son Walker for the rest of his life would cost about $8 Million.
If the government does not set aside funds for the disabled, then who will? It is hard enough for families to work through plans for their disabled children's futures, let alone pay a large sum of money to ensure their child's happy, safe, and enjoyable life.
Budget cuts, particularly in Illinois, are very unnecessary. In fact, Illinois families dealing with disabled children should be very high on our list of priorities. It is our duty to care for the disabled and make sure they live a complete joyful life.
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