To the editor:

Individuals with disabilities are valuable members of our communities, and the services that support these individuals are valuable as well. Quality services for those with disabilities are not possible without a skilled and stable workforce, and this is not possible unless state legislators budget more funding for the agencies that provide these services.

I have worked in the community with individuals with disabilities for over eight years, and during that time, I have seen first-hand how difficult it is for agencies to attract and retain quality staff due to inadequate state funding. I have seen wages increase in other fields and remain stagnant in this field. I have seen fantastic staff who love their jobs and the people they work with have to find employment elsewhere because they simply can’t afford to continue working for their current wages.

I certainly understand that there will be many funding requests during the upcoming legislative session, but we need to set priorities, and those with disabilities need to be one.

Daniel Brown,

Lawrence