The Governor’s Veto sounds the alarm bell for people with disabilities and VCDR is highlighting two aspects of the budget adjustment that have a direct impact on people with disabilities; Funding the Human Rights Commission and supporting people who are experiencing homelessness.
Vermont’s Human Rights Commission currently faces an unmanageable backlog of discrimination complaints, most of which are filed by people with disabilities. These Vermonters are not only trying to enforce their rights to work, housing, and public accommodations, but they also relay on timely investigations to ensure that they can lead dignified lives. Without resolution people’s access to housing is lost, job prospects vanish, and basic everyday needs remain out of reach. The HRC must be funded! It is fundamental to protecting the civil rights of Vermonters, and it’s an investment in our collective values of equality, justice and human dignity.
In addition, people with disabilities are disproportionately people experiencing homelessness and we need solutions now!
Over the past few years, VCDR member organizations have worked with people experiencing homelessness and have helped support them. We’ve served on workgroups, have testified at the legislature and we are feeling defeated as the Budget Adjustment comes up for another vote and politics continues to override the rights of individuals with disabilities.
We call on the legislature to keep people sheltered while a permanent solution continues to be created. Member organizations have supported homeless people with disabilities and we know firsthand that people have nowhere else to turn to including people released from the hospital with a new amputation, people with developmental disabilities and Deaf not understanding the programmatic language and our staff trying to keep up with the changing rules to those who have lost their housing in recent flooding.
The Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights works to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities to ensure full and equal participation in all aspects of community life and the political process.
We call upon the legislature to support people with disabilities.
VCDR President, Sarah Launderville