A group called Protection and Advocacy, which advocates for people with disabilities, has sent a letter to Wyoming, expressing concern over potential budget cuts for developmental disabilities.
Gov. Matt Mead has called for all agencies to prepare for 8 percent budget cuts. The Department of Health has not yet specified what it would cut, but Protection and Advocacy CEO Jeanne Thobro says she’s concerned that Wyomingites with developmental disabilities could lose vital services.
“We just want to ensure that people who need adequate programming don’t find themselves affected by life and safety issues because of a lack of adequate funding in community programs that assist them,” Thobro said.
She says Wyoming currently provides services that teach people with disabilities how to care for themselves, as well as helping them learn job skills and social skills, so they don’t have to be institutionalized.
Thobro says federal law requires that certain services be provided to people with disabilities, but adds that her group does not have specific plans to sue the state if funding for those programs is cut.
