Thousands, including people with disabilities, direct service providers (DSPs), and advocates gathered Tuesday, March 24 in the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda to deliver a clear message to legislators: “Cuts have costs.”

The Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR) and ARRM co-hosted the event that kicked off with a high-energy rally. The rally featured speakers from advocacy organizations, people with disabilities, and legislators.

A few highlights from the event include:

• Rep. Kim Hicks called the event her favorite day of the year and then led the crowd in a chant of, “Nothing about us, without us.”
• Lydia Dawley, who has a disability, discussed her personal need for care and recent struggles. She also highlighted a bill she helped create to make PCA easier to access for others.
• Rep. Dawn Gillman shared optimism for a bill to restructure compensation for residential direct support professionals.
• Sen. Jeremy Miller led the crowd in chanting, “No more cuts!” and “We want more!”
• Alma Silver, who has a disability, shared the stage with Sen. Jim Abeler. They discussed how state and federal fraud investigations threaten the independence of people like Silver.

2026 Legislative Priorities

After the rally, attendees met with House and Senate lawmakers. Their primary goal was to encourage legislators to reject Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed budget cuts. During the last session, the Legislature approved $1 billion in reductions to disability waiver funding. Walz has proposed an additional $400 million in cuts for the current session. The combined reductions total $1.4 billion.

Advocates carried their core message into individual meetings. They argued that cutting disability services simply shifts the financial burden elsewhere. ARRM representatives warned that short-term cuts create long-term expenses. These expenses include higher costs for emergency and institutional care, increased hospitalizations and lower workforce participation for both caregivers and people with disabilities.

The advocates asked lawmakers to reject the additional cuts and invest in sustainable, community-based support.

The argument is simple: Minnesota’s disability service system is already under strain. Advocates warn that further reductions will deepen inequities and harm vulnerable people–without, in the end, reducing the state’s overall budget.

For the thousands of passionate individuals at the Capitol it really came down to those three words: Cuts have costs.

A Note on Accessibility

The disability community found this event to be so important that they overwhelmed the entrance to the Minnesota State Capitol. People using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and escorted by DSPs formed a long line outside the Capitol. Unfortunately, the line was so long that many did not make it to the formal portion of the rally. Luckily, the weather wasn’t too poor outside, just a little chilly.

In the future, it will be nice if the staff at the Capitol can think of ways to accommodate people with disabilities so they are able to screen them more quickly.