Stop budget cuts aimed at centers for independent living

Iproudly work as a systems-advocacy and social-recreation program coordinator for the Alliance for Disabled in Action Inc., which is a center for independent living, serving and empowering people with disabilities of all ages in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. I have written this letter not only as a staff member of the alliance but also as a consumer who has benefited from the services and programs it provides to people with all disabilities. If it wasn't for the alliance, I would have never had the information, resources and programs that I am able to use so I can live a full and independent life as a voter, taxpayer and contributing member of the community.

Unfortunately, five centers for independent living (or CILs), including the alliance, that are funded by the state are faced with a severe and devastating budget cut of $125,000, from $625,000 to $500,000.

The proposed budget cut will seriously affect funding of CILs by decreasing the number of staff members and reducing operations in four core services they provide as advocacy, peer support, instruction in independent living and information and referral, as well as transition programs for young people with disabilities ages 16-35 and various services and programs including deaf outreach, assessments for Access Link, adjustment to vision loss, social recreation and others … or they may even close altogether.

All of New Jersey's 12 CILs, which cover 21 counties, already operate on limited budgets. But for the CILs that are affected the most, a reduction of $125,000 in state funding will seriously impede their operations. According to statistics from the New Jersey Association of Centers for Independent Living, the five state-funded CILs serve 58 percent of the geographic area of the state, which includes 48 percent of New Jersey residents with disabilities residing in the community. The five CILs only receive 36 percent of the total independent living dollars in the state.

This proposed cut will drastically impact the CILs abilities to help people with disabilities become economically self-sufficient. CILs are the only resource where people with all types of disabilities can go for assistance. This cut will do nothing to close the state's budget gap, but may and will cause a further dependence on state entitlement programs.

I have been very fortunate to be in a job I truly love by working at the alliance both as a systems-advocacy coordinator who helps people with disabilities individually to empower themselves and working with groups to coordinate efforts that will ensure accessibility, services, and other policies, and as a social-recreation coordinator who arranges activities that help people meet with friends and make new acquaintances while participating and being included in the community. My only wish is that I could work more than the two days I am scheduled to work at the alliance every week so I can advocate for more people to be independent and do more research on finding answers to help them solve their issues.

Services for people with disabilities in our state are already minimal, and centers for independent living are already underfunded. I strongly believe that the proposed cut will especially affect my job at the alliance as well as all my other colleagues there who work very hard in their positions to help and empower people with all disabilities.

I am strongly and firmly urging Gov. Jon Corzine and members of our state Legislature to please help restore funding to centers for independent living, which are indeed vital and necessary organizations that provide people with all disabilities with the information, support and services they need to empower and make choices for themselves so they will be able to live full, productive and independent lives in the community as contributing citizens.

For more information on the proposed cuts, please contact the Alliance for Disabled in Action office at 732-738-4388, email ctonks@adacil.org or aclavering@ adacil.org.

Anita Clavering is a resident of Old Bridge.