“Rethink Disability” Art Show to stop the Governor’s 2011/12 budget cuts

R. E. D. Real Estate Downtown, in asociation with Westview Services and Chuntana Art is hosting a “Rethink Disability” Art Show to stop the Governor’s 2011/12 budget cuts, tonight, March 5, from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm, at 207 Broadway St, Suite B6A2, in Santa Ana, at the Art Walk.

The Governor’s 2011/12 Budget Will Topple Our Service Systems:

*A $750 million cut represents over 20% of the entire DD budget for community services. Add in federal dollars that will be put at risk and you are looking at closer to $1 billion in cuts.

*Not only will California walk away from matching funds, but cuts of this magnitude and the resulting limits to consumer choice would violate federal rules, eliminating more federal dollars.

*The community based service system and providers cannot survive a 20% cut on top of the 10% in cuts already absorbed in the previous two budget years.

*Reduction would not be 20% but 100% as programs would fold, unable to sustain continued stress and fund raising difficulties

*There is no analysis of what a cut of this size would do to local community service provider agencies-no analysis of the impact on the availability of services in the short term or in the long term. How quickly can any system shrink by one fith and maintain continuity.

*Cuts of this magnitude will result in thousands of lost jobs. Not only will service providers have to lay off or severely reduce employee benefits, people with disabilities that our organizations support will lose their jobs too.

*This budget proposal effectively dismantles the Lanterman Act, severely limiting opportunities and choices for persons with developmental disabilities who live and work in their communities.

*20% is an unsurvivable number! The alternatives are ugly–should we: Eliminate services for 48,000 persons?

R.E.D. is asking you to help to alert the community of this pending tsunami of financial destruction. We cannot wait in fear of alarming our vulnerable community. To wait is to be complicit, to say nothing is lay down and abandoned our first duty as advotcates. Standing together, parents, self-adcvocates, service providers, friends are a powerful force. We did it before: We stood up and created this system. Together, we can do it again–and save it!

This March 5th, R.E.D. Gallery presents the magnificent artwork from the artistic clients of Westview Services. Let us raise conciousness against the budget cut proposal from the Governor. Let us demonstrate that we as a community can come together to stop all that is detrimental to it. Join us this evening and look at the exciting, interesting, and meaningful artwork masterpieced by persons with dissabilities. Come and sign a petition that will be sent to the Governor to put a stop to budget cuts to our Services System!!!

Odilon Delgado is the Art Director for the Art Department at Westview Services, come meet him and talk to him!!!!

In addition we will be showing a video documenting the work of Westview’s Clients, by Jorge Linares.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.