By REP. JEFF FITZGERALD On Oct. 28th, I received a call from an old friend who needed some help. He shared with me his concerns that his child with developmental disabilities was in danger of losing his job at a local work center and was wondering if I could help. I thanked him and immediately went to work. What I found was quite upsetting to not only me, but more importantly, to thousands of families across Wisconsin who care for relatives with developmental disabilities. It seems a decision made by the Department of Health Services (DHS) without any input from legislators or the public, puts thousands of jobs for disabled citizens at risk. This is because DHS is actively working to change the rules concerning prevocational services, specifically eliminating disabled people’s ability to choose ongoing placement in a work center. As someone who understands the importance of work centers like Green Valley Enterprises, Inc. in Beaver Dam, it was clear to me that this major shift in policy could have a potentially devastating impact on my disabled constituents and their families. It would also disrupt Green Valley’s ability to fulfill contracts with area employers and to continue to be a force for economic development and community partnerships in Dodge County. A conversation with Jack Hankes, interim executive director of Green Valley, revealed the disastrous effect this policy change would have on a local level. The jobs of 97 percent of Green Valley’s program participants, including my friend’s son, would be eliminated. Local employers like John Deere would miss out on the valuable workplace contributions offered to program participants. Clearly, something must be done to stop this, but what? Work center advocates’ appeals for common sense were already ignored by the department. The state Legislature had very little oversight on the matter. The department issued no reports or testified before any legislative committees for plan review or to provide appropriate public scrutiny. Doing so would have most certainly provided an uncomfortable arena for disability advocates, families and legislators to sound off on the changes. Again, what could be done? My friend and hundreds of other families did what we would all do for our children; they decided to fight for what they believed in. Legislators from every corner of the state began receiving phone calls, e-mails or letters urging them to action. Some contacts where understandably angry, many frightened, but all were deeply concerned. By the end of the day on Thursday, Oct. 29, 46 legislators had taken a stand on behalf of the people who put them in office and signed a letter to Gov. Doyle asking him and DHS to reverse their decision. Numerous legislators stood up on the Assembly floor and spoke about this issue to raise awareness and wake up the bureaucrats in Madison. Bipartisan coalitions of legislators in both houses began penning letters to Gov. Doyle pressing the issue further. Media reports in newspapers, television and radio began popping up across the state. It seems things were moving in the right direction. At the time of writing, my office received word that an agreement has been reached between DHS officials and advocates. It seems that all of our collective efforts were successful. The work centers will be saved. Please be assured that I will monitor the situation to ensure DHS follows through with their promise to allow the work centers remain open in my district and across the state. I am pleased that Gov. Doyle took the time and actually listened to the calls like the one I received from my friend. Doing so obviously went a long way in helping to understand the value and the rewarding work done at these facilities in our shared community.