Wiesner is a retired salon manager and the mother of a client in the Home of Guiding Hands community living program. She lives in El Cajon.
I'm not just a concerned citizen. I'm a scared parent. I fear for what will happen when the world does not see the value in supporting the community of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including my daughter, Taylor. I am Taylor's mother, and I am writing to draw attention to a vital issue: the fear that accompanies Governor Gavin Newsom's potential budget cuts to this community.
The community of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is more than just an inconvenience. It is a lifelong story of silent struggle and the pain of exclusion. My daughter Taylor faces the world as an adult with a disability and builds her own home while receiving direct support and guidance from organizations like Home of Guiding Her Hands and its caring staff. I am facing limitations and heartache. But her hopes are fading in the shadow of her lack of funds.
Inclusion is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. It is a bridge that connects Taylor to the world around her. Taylor has been a part of the Home of Guiding Hands Community Living program for over 10 years. The program has always supported Taylor by providing practical tools to improve her daily life, such as shopping, paying bills, taking public transportation and cooking. Similarly, Taylor and others like her struggle to understand how to access essential health services. Without the help she received from the Home of Guiding Hands, Taylor's health would have deteriorated further along with her quality of life.
In addition, Home of Guiding Hands offers a variety of opportunities for Taylor to meet and interact with peers. They nurture people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through emotional and practical support.
Home of Guiding Hands was a beacon of hope for families like mine, providing a sense of normalcy in a world where the needs of those who can't always speak up for themselves are often overlooked.
If organisations like the Home of Guiding Hands become ever more cutbacks and less available, we will fill the gap as best we can, but we are not experts or her allies: we are simply loving parents doing the best we can in a situation that feels increasingly hopeless.
Lack of supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a complex issue that can exacerbate the challenges this vulnerable population faces. I further suspect that larger societal expenditures related to emergency medical care, law enforcement involvement, and other crisis response services often exceed the costs of providing preventative and supportive services. Ultimately, failure to adequately fund support services for intellectual and developmental disabilities may lead to increased long-term costs.
But, of course, there are also personal losses due to financial neglect. Every time funding is cut, it feels like Taylor's lifeline is cut off. It's not just the budget numbers that are important. Every time a program is downsized or a staff member is lost, his daughter's world, and the world of many others, shrinks. Mentoring to help her cope with her daily life, activities to help her grow, companions to tell her she's not alone – without funding, these are out of reach.
For me personally, it's scary. Her funding cuts have stripped her of the support her daughter relied on and she fears a future where her daughter will have to navigate an even more difficult world.
The way we view people with intellectual and developmental disabilities must change. It's not about pity or charity, it's about recognizing that diversity of ability is a natural and valuable part of the human experience.
Don't wait for other families to feel the despair and fear that comes from seeing a loved one suffer needlessly. Act now to strengthen the intellectual and developmental disability support system that not only helps individuals like Taylor, but enriches society as a whole. It's time for us to step up and become guides on the path to a more inclusive and caring world. If you have the same concerns as me, please take action. Lobby your local legislators today to oppose Governor Newsom's proposed $1 billion in funding cuts to the intellectual and developmental disability community.
