Over 2,000 people gathered on a rainy day in front of the front West Steps of the capitol in Sacramento California on the 25th, of May 2011 for the Annual Disability Capitol Action Day. This day was dedicated to people with disabilities to rally and stand up for not cutting programs and organizations funding in the State of California budget that help people with disabilities. Many groups travelled to be represented and to participate in this day and to participate in a “parade of organizations that proudly announced their arrival to the capitol with noise makers, mega phones and chants as they walked up the last few blocks to the capitol building in hopes that all the senators and people that worked in the building would hear them. When the organizations arrived they were greeted by 26 booths along the capitol’s sidewalks representing different organizations that attended the rally and gave out freebies and informational pamphlets.
Organization that attended included Y.O.! Youth organizing disabled and proud, Disabled American Veterans, AARP, Alta California Regional Center, California Association of Public Authorities for IHSS (CAPA), California Collation of Mental Health, California Disability services association, California Foundation for Independent Living Services, California In – Home Supportive Services Consumer Alliance (CICA), California Network of Mental Health Clients, California Telephone Access Program, California United Homecare Workers, Congress of California Seniors, Counseling California, Disability Rights California, Hamilton Relay, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, NAMI California, National Association of Social Workers – CA, SDSU Interwork Institute, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center ( SVILC), The Arc of California, Traumatic Brain Injury Services of California (TBISCA), UCP of Sacramento and Northern California, United Domestic Workers, (UDW), and United Advocates for children and families. People were able to walk around and get information on services that they rotationally could use and as a whole people were able to see and more importantly people who work in the capitol were able to see the array of programs that they may be hurting by doing budget cuts. As people were looking and scouting around, there were also key note speakers who spoke on behalf of their organization and what their organization does.
After the speakers, there were groups of people who went into the capitol and talked to senators, representatives and legislators. Groups had main talking points and parts legislation emphasized. Some of these points that people were in favor of included the Olmsted case, health care, teaching people about disability history, and famous disabled people and letting stereotypes go. Some of the bills that people were up in Sacramento to oppose were “Not in my Backyard.” and many parts of the state budget that would hurt programs they use like IHSS and social security. People also people talked about their support for In Home Supportive Services or (IHSS) which gives services to people with disabilities in the comfort of their own home. People also talked about their everyday life and what it means for them to have attendents and the fact that they are very helpful, but these services do cost a lot of money and without the financial support that they get it would be hard for them to get the services they need. Therefore, the budget cuts would hurt us, the disability community in many ways. The Disability Capitol Action Day was full of hope for people with disabilities and was a day in which people who are not usually heard were able to have a voice in the government and were able to share what they needed. People with disabilities are still making sure that their voice are heard and are getting what they need to live a life that is comfortable and successful and have equal rights that they deserve.