A generation ago, when children were diagnosed with autism, Down's syndrome or other mental challenge, their future was bleak. With little understanding of these conditions, and few resources to address them, such children were not able to reach their fullest potential.Thanks to dedicated parents who wanted more for their special children, and amazing research, many children diagnosed with mental disabilities now grow up to be contributing members of their communities. They are finishing high school, and some even college, and they are getting jobs and paying taxes - unheard of for the mentally challenged a generation ago. Why would the state consider pulling the rug out from under these amazing residents just when so much progress is being made? That is what the Republican- backed state budget proposal would do. Senate Republican cuts in funding for MHMR programs would turn the clock back to the days when people with mental disabilities were permanent wards of the state, locked away; just warehoused, not treated. I urge the legislature to continue to invest in people with mental disabilities to help them reach their fullest potential and become active, contributing members of their community. The opportunity for a better life is the American dream; a dream from which those with mental disabilities must not be excluded.
