Nonprofit says federal proposal would gut key programs for Ohioans with disabilities

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A local nonprofit is navigating uncertainty with several programs on the chopping block.

Disability Rights Ohio serves as an advocate for people with disabilities. They help with jobs, education, abuse investigations and legal rights, but the federal budget proposal by President Donald Trump's administration guts some of the programs.

“We have never had this type of attack on our programs in the 16 and a half years I’ve been doing this work,” Kerstin Sjoberg, president & CEO of Disability Rights Ohio, said.

Within the proposal, three federal grants would be zeroed out and another would be cut by 66%. Sjoberg said one of the programs at risk is the Client Assistance Program (CAP). It helps people get job training services and reasonable accommodations.

“We’re going to have less people in the workforce,” she said, “Clearly, we were very alarmed that they would want to eliminate an entire program.”

Alexis Boswell is one of the many Ohioans who uses CAP. She said she has always dreamed of being a doctor but her neurological disorder, Arnold-Chiari malformation, has put up some barriers.

“I had to face really difficult questions and I had to face people saying you’re never going to be able to achieve what you want to do because of your disability,” Boswell said.

Arnold-Chiari malformation is a structural condition where brain tissue extends into the spinal canal through the base of the skull. With the help of her CAP advocate, Boswell said she was able to appeal denials and continue her medical education.

“As an outsider, it can be really hard to navigate those waters while recovering from surgery, while managing a disability and while being an undergraduate,” she said. 

Boswell just finished her first year of medical school at Ohio State. She told NBC4 she’s worried about potentially losing this support.

“I wouldn’t be here truthfully without them," Boswell said. "That means my entire future course would be changed. That means that the patients that I will one day be able to help will not be helped."

CAP isn’t the only program at risk.

“The other one is to help people with disabilities with a wide range of issues including investigating concerns of abuse and neglect,” Sjoberg said.

The fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Congress will either have to finalize the budget or pass a temporary extension by then.