Rally shows support for funding programs for Kansans with disabilities

About 600 people show support for tax increase on behalf of those with disabilities

Several hundred people on Wednesday attend rally on the south lawn of the Capitol in support of funding for programs for Kansans with disabilities. The event occurred on the first day of the Legislature's wrap up session.

A scroll with the names of more than 4,000 Kansans with disabilities was unrolled at the rally on Wednesday.

? Several hundred Kansans with developmental disabilities and their advocates rallied outside the Statehouse on Wednesday in support of a tax increase to restore funding cuts made to services and eliminate the waiting lists.

The rally concluded “Walk A Mile In My Shoes Run, Walk and Roll Relay” events through various cities in Kansas, including Lawrence. Participants arrived to a cheering crowd as legislators returned for the wrap up session to work on the budget.

Participants arrive Wednesday at the Walk

Kathly Lobb, who receives supports from Cottonwood Inc., said if she didn’t receive assistance, “I would kind of be stuck at home.”

Michelle Garrison, who also receives services through Cottonwood, said she hoped legislators could end the waiting lists so that Kansans with disabilities could get out in the community and work. “They should be able to work,” she said.

More than 50 people from Cottonwood were at the rally.

Volunteers, in conjunction with the event, walked more than 16,000 miles in their communities in an effort to raise awareness. The event was sponsored by InterHab, a resource network for Kansans with disabilities.

Some of the Cottonwood Inc. employees at Wednesday's rally to fund services for Kansans with disabilities.