The disability community in Massachusetts receives some welcome news today. Although certain programs that affected disabled people are being cut by Governor Deval Patrick's 9C authority, the cuts are not anywhere near as bad as advocates feared they would be. 9C is part of Chapter 29 in the state's budget code. Massachusetts requires every budget to be balanced. This year, Massachusetts has a short fall. Many feared that this short coming would be made up on the backs of disabled people and their caregivers.

The Disability Policy Consortium announced the list of cuts today. The State House Accessibility Office will lose $585.00, the Massachusetts Office on Disability will be forced to reduce their budget by over $2,600.00, the Commission for the Blind will lose over $14,000.00 from their administrative budget, the Massachusetts Rehab Commission will lose almost $6,000.00 from their administrative budget and an additional $3,500.00 from their independent living training program. Mental health services to children and adolescents will endure over $15,000.00 in cuts. Hardest hit, however, was the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing which must somehow make up almost $344,000.00.

As Massachusetts plays the yearly budget game; give a little. Take a little. Give a little back because it makes you look good. One would hope legislators remember that the dollars they are removing are not merely lines on a spreadsheet. They represent actual real people who need real services, often immediately if not sooner. However, those people's lives don't desrve to be manipulated so they fit nicely into some state pie chart.