Among the many state agencies asking the legislature for funding this week is the New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, which funds many initiatives throughout the state.
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One of them is the Center for Self Advocacy, which seeks to help integrate people with developmental disabilities in public life. Several youth advocates associated with CSA testified at a Legislative Finance Committee hearing Wednesday afternoon. The youth leader program within the CSA lets them spread awareness about disabilities to children and younger people.
"[The youth leader program] basically teaches everybody to integrate and be comfortable with different situations," Adam Shand, who has cerebral palsy and spoke to the committee, tells SFR.
Daniel Ekman, who's autistic and has been involved with the youth leader program for a year, says he and his colleagues have so far developed a curriculum and made several public service announcements.
"There's a lot of work we've done that's just right now kicking into high gear," Ekman tells SFR.
In January, the legislature cut $400,000 from the DDPC. Much of it was going to fall to CSA until enough people involved voiced opposition and testified, Chistine Marchand, executive director of the DDPC, tells SFR.
"They planned to wipe out the Center for Self Advocacy," Marchand says.
That didn't happen, but DDPC still felt the cuts in other ways. Marchand and many others spent Wednesday at the Roundhouse asking for the $400,000 back.
