The effort must be loud and quick, advocates said, noting they have only a short time to persuade state legislators to reverse millions of dollars in cuts before Gov. George Ryan's budget goes to the General Assembly for approval in May.

Through a series of public hearings, representatives of individual agencies have told state lawmakers that the governor's proposed cuts would ravage community-based agencies as they now exist. Now, community service agencies provide a safe haven for those with disabilities. There, they learn social and daily living skills and do simple tasks to earn a paycheck, such as packaging or assembly-line work, officials said.

While many are confident their lobbying campaign will be successful, they are also warning lawmakers that they know this is an election year, they know who is listening to them, and they plan to continue their efforts until November's general election, advocates said.

In a year where the governor's mansion, other statewide offices and all legislative seats are up for grabs, timing bodes well, organizers of the campaign said.

"We are watching," said Melanie Jones, director of development for the Alsip-based Sertoma Centre. "Hundreds of thousands of people are watching how legislators vote on the budget. Anybody not supporting us can count on packing their bags in November.

"We will make sure people know who doesn't care. We will look forward to see who is a supporter of us and who just talks.

"I don't have any power. I just have a strong voice."

Advocates statewide are uniting under the "Do the Right Thing" campaign.

As part of the effort, agency employees, along with family and friends of disabled people, plan to lobby state lawmakers and host rallies locally and in Springfield. Several hundred people are expected to attend an April 17 rally in the state capital.

"This budget is really bringing the people out — nobody's pleased," said Tony Paulauski, executive director of Homewood-based Arc of Illinois, which oversees 55 agencies statewide that serve the developmentally disabled.

"The unique thing about this campaign is a number of state organizations concerned with the disabled are banding together to fight and implement change."

As part of the campaign, agencies are sending out mailings to the parents of disabled people they serve — but also to people who have supported the agencies in the past, whether through volunteering or contributing donations at fundraisers.

Many organizations' mailing lists include tens of thousands of addresses, advocates said.

For instance, Alsip's Sertoma Centre, which serves 560 disabled people, has a mailing list of 10,000 families, Jones said.

The goal of "Do the Right Thing" is for the state to reverse the budget cuts through alternative sources of revenue, such as increased taxes on gaming licenses, tobacco or alcohol, said Susan McKinney, director of operations for the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.

But if budget cuts have to be made, they have to be reviewed and done responsibly; community service agencies should not be torn apart, she said.

Spokesmen for Ryan have said the budget cuts are the solution to balance a state budget nearly $1 billion in the red. Budgets for departments statewide, not just the Department of Human Services, must be cut, they said.

Ryan's budget would cut $38 million in funding for programs for those with developmental disabilities and $20 million in funding for programs for those with mental health problems, McKinney said.

The budget would also eliminate an annual 2 percent increase in general funding for agencies contracted by the state to serve the disabled, officials said.

Summer camps for children with developmental disabilities would be eliminated. And rather than the state allocating an agency a set amount for the year, agencies would have to bill the state for each client they serve, officials said.

Most funding is matched by federal dollars, so cuts by the state mean less matching funds by the federal government.

When all the cuts are totaled, each agency would lose between 10 and 20 percent of its annual revenue, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars, McKinney said.

Agency directors said they are concerned they would have to close their doors, eliminate programs, cut staff or reduce the number of clients that can be served.

"The devil is in the details — everyday we are finding more and more negative impacts on families," Paulauski said.

Some agency executives said they would take on additional clients if other agencies close and the disabled are left without a place to go.

But they said such concern for the disabled comes with a price.

They warn that services — and possibly individuals' safety — could be compromised because the budget cuts would leave fewer employees on hand to oversee the clients.

Soon state human services workers will visit community services agencies to interview clients, officials said. In the interviews, workers will decide which clients might be higher functioning and no longer eligible to receive assistance.

Agency workers are warning parents that their agencies might no longer receive funding to serve "higher-functioning" clients.

But agencies also are trying to promise parents they would make their dollars stretch farther, so those individuals who have come to depend on community agencies aren't cut from programs.

Many agencies are calling parents whose disabled children are in high school to tell them there could be no place for graduates to go if the proposed budget passes.

At present, the state must pay for education for disabled individuals up to 21 years old.

"It's like Humpty Dumpty. If these cuts go through, it's not going to be easily fixed," said Sorin Ignat, executive director of Tinley Park's Southwest Community Services.

McKinney agreed, saying it would be "scary" if their lobbying effort fails.

But advocates said they are confident the money could be restored once state lawmakers realize how dramatically the proposed budget would hurt agencies that serve the disabled.

"I'm an optimist. It's the nature of the business," Paulauski said. "The important thing is what we do is good for the community. The whole disabled movement has made incredible impacts over the last 20 years.

"We have early intervention programs. People with disabilities are now employed. They are living in individual homes. This was unheard of 20 years ago. We can't go backward."

Michelle Mullins may be reached at mmullins@dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-5991.