On May 29, l989, I suffered a broken neck as a passenger in a car accident. I was your typical 20-year-old guy, going to college, looking forward to my summer vacation. All of my dreams were suddenly shattered. I was paralyzed from the neck down.
I now work for Services for Independent Living, where I do peer support at Rusk Rehabilitation Center for other people who have gone through similar circumstances. I see people struggle to reconstruct their life and move on.
Gov. Blunt is calling for drastic cuts in services for people with disabilities. The cuts are truly broad, deep and hurtful. The cuts will cause harm to Missourians on many different levels. Gov. Blunt said, when he defended the cuts, “Missourians want the dignity that comes from labor.”
I have labored and worked hard to rebuild my life and then contribute to society. These cuts undermine the labor and toil of hard-working people with disabilities. It would be a travesty for the working disabled to be only rewarded by working just to pay for their medical care.
Bob PundColumbia, Mo.
