Welcome to Road to Responsibility
Message From The President/CEO
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting the official website of Road To Responsibility, Inc.! We are very proud of our programs and the services we provide. This website offers a brief glimpse into what we strive for here at RTR. If you would like more information on any of our programs or would like to schedule a tour please contact us.
As you may already know, RTR, Inc. (and other similar agencies) are primarily funded through state contracts. This fact has created major challenges for all who serve or care about our citizens with developmental disabilities due to the ongoing recession. As state revenues have dropped over the past two years we have taken significant budget cuts and the new fiscal year (FY'11, which begins on 7/1/10) could be the most difficult yet. The Governor's recently released House 2 budget proposal calls for tens of millions of dollars in further cuts to Residential, Family Support and Day/Employment services through the state Department of Developmental Services (formerly DMR). This is unfair, unsafe and unacceptable! The Arc of Massachusetts estimates that these cuts will result in a loss of services for over 1600 individuals with developmental disabilities and their families as of 7/1/10. This cannot be allowed to stand. Why must the government always balance its budget on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens and the hard-working, underpaid staff who support them in the community? Federal and state court rulings have consistently ruled that persons with disabilities have the right to be safely and appropriately served in the community, which echoes what individual consumers, their families and advocates have known and been requesting for decades. Unfortunately, our government has not always acted congruently with this widely accepted tenet despite decades of evidence demonstrating that community-based services produce better results, at lower per person cost, than the isolated, monolithic institutions we have been "closing" since the 1970's!
If you care about persons with disabilities and their families please get involved in the democratic process. You can do so by calling or writing your local State Senator or State Representative and advocate to protect disability services from any more budget cuts. You can also join the Arc of Massachusetts, attend budget hearings that are being scheduled throughout the Commonwealth over the next 8 weeks and reach out to the Federal delegation of Senators and Representatives from Massachusetts.
Thank you!
Chris White, Ed.D
President/CEO
The Weather Outside Is Frightful!
Please check here for RTR snow closings and early release.
