Lifelines for vulnerable Oklahomans, disability services are under attack

Budget cuts are often sold to the public as necessary belt-tightening — an unfortunate but unavoidable step toward “fiscal responsibility.”

But what happens when those cuts target the most vulnerable among us? What happens when the programs being slashed aren’t luxuries, but lifelines?

Across Oklahoma and the nation, disability services are quietly being defunded, downsized, or dismantled. These decisions may not make front-page news, but their impact reverberates deeply in the lives of disabled individuals and families who depend on them for support, inclusion, and survival.​

Programs designed to support and protect people with disabilities — like state councils on developmental disabilities, protection and advocacy systems, and national initiatives that give us a voice — face the threat of elimination.

As a single mom of five, raising a son on the autism spectrum, I live the realities these programs are designed to address.

Every day, I navigate school systems, health care barriers and support networks in a world that isn’t built with families like mine in mind.

And I’m not alone.

Since 2022, more than 2,000 Oklahoma families have been approved for or are currently receiving developmental disability services, following a significant reduction in the state’s waitlist from 13 years to one. These services are not luxuries; they are essential supports that enable families to move from merely surviving to truly thriving.

What truly changed the trajectory of my advocacy journey was Partners in Policymaking, a leadership training program I completed through the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council. That experience gave me the tools to speak up — not only for my child, but for the entire community. I learned how to navigate the Legislature, challenge broken systems, and amplify the voices of others who are often ignored.

This is not just a budget issue — and it’s not about left versus right. It’s about what’s right versus wrong.

In Oklahoma, recent funding efforts have made a measurable difference. Rolling back that progress now would be devastating.

Despite that, I’m hearing growing concern that this progress could be reversed in the upcoming budget and that these critical services could be on the chopping block — putting thousands of families at risk of losing the critical support they’ve only just begun to receive.

Budget cuts would send a message loud and clear that our needs are not a priority. Without programs like these, future advocates won’t get the chance to find their voice. The leaders, policy changers, and community builders of tomorrow will be silenced before they ever begin.

Cutting disability programs means cutting off access — to education, employment, independence, safety, and basic dignity. It also means delaying early screenings and interventions — critical steps for diagnosing developmental disabilities, identifying delays like autism and addressing childhood trauma.

The data is clear: approximately 1 in 6 children aged 3–17 in the U.S. has a developmental disability. Services to support these children are not a luxury — they are a necessity. When children are denied early access to help, we miss critical windows of opportunity that shape their futures.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, early diagnosis and intervention for developmental disabilities can greatly improve a child’s development and long-term outcomes. Eliminating these services risks leaving thousands of Oklahoma’s children without timely help during their most critical developmental windows.

What starts as a delay in services, often grows into a lifetime of missed potential, greater needs, and heavier burdens — both for families and for our state. Cuts made today will cost far more tomorrow both in lives and in dollars.

We can’t claim to value community, family, or fairness while gutting the very programs that make those ideals possible for everyone. Oklahoma can’t call itself inclusive if we only show up when it’s convenient. We can’t say we care about all children while ignoring those who need support the most.

Because when we silence the most vulnerable among us, we don’t just harm individuals and their families — we betray the very values that are supposed to unite us and wound the very soul of our society.