Budget cut plans draw protests

Robin Renshaw rolled his wheelchair through a cluster of people decrying the impacts that proposed state budget cuts could have on children, families and the disabled.

Born with cerebral palsy, Renshaw, 43, didn't attend a forum Wednesday to express worry about his future, but rather the grim prospects many families face. Parents seeking services to aid children with disabilities are finding longer lines and dwindling options, Renshaw said.

"The waiting is long now because of the budget cuts," said Renshaw, who works for Nevada PEP, a group that offers support to families with disabled children.

Renshaw was among 50 people who attended the "State of our State" forum at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building near downtown Las Vegas, where several child advocates spoke. An estimated 70 people attended a similar event in Reno earlier in the day.

If Gov. Jim Gibbons and lawmakers reduce funding for child disability programs, many families would have no choice but to leave Nevada and find a state that offered those services, said Stephanie Vrsnik, PEP's community development director.

"How do they (children) become more independent? How do they become part of our society?" Vrsnik said.

Slashing such programs to save money is shortsighted, she said, because if disabled children don't become self-sufficient now, they'll cost the state more money later when they're adults.

Advocates for Clark County schools also opposed budget cuts.

"The cuts the school district is being asked to make is unconscionable," said Clark County School District Board Member Carolyn Edwards.

The state must find a stable source of revenue, whether it's through taxes or something else, and quit depending so much on tourism, which slumps during an economic downturn, said Donna Hoffman-Anspach, a board member with Nevadans for Quality Education.

Diane Lombardo talked about her 17-year-old son, Dean, who suffers from severe autism.

Her son was enrolled in a program to help him become independent and was making progress. The program was cut and he regressed to not speaking at all, she said.

Lombardo said she fought to reinstate the program and her son is again communicating, proof that it works.

"They can't speak for themselves, so we have to go out and advocate for them."

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.