President Obama’s budget proposal: What it means for people with disabilities
by Jennifer
In late January, we published a blog post about the President’s State of the Union address and the principles of opportunity, action and optimism that were the focus of that speech. On Tuesday, the President took the next step in laying out his vision for fulfilling those principles with the release of his budget.
Presidential budgets are not laws. Congress makes the real decisions about funding priorities, but they use what the President puts forth as a starting point.
Every year, we in Washington pore through the reams of recommendations that come out and identify those things that are of most importance to people with disabilities. Easter Seals partners with government and with the private sector to deliver exceptional services to more than 1.8 million individuals so that children and adults with disabilities and other special needs can live with equality, dignity and independence. This gives us unique insight into what initiatives will be most effective.
This budget calls for increased funding in areas we know are most important for people with disabilities. These include early childhood education, job training, veterans services, housing and transportation. We applaud this attention to people with disabilities. Are there things in the budget we would change? Of course there are, but we think this is an important first step.
You can add your voice to this debate. Tell Congress about YOUR priorities. You can use this nifty template to get started.