Canceled grant over DEI leaves Oregon families with disabilities 'without a lifeline'

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon lawmakers and an organization in Central Oregon are sounding the alarm after the U.S. Department of Education canceled a grant that was serving rural Oregon families raising children with disabilities.

Since 2004, the Central Oregon Disability Support Network has helped families in rural counties -- including Deschutes, Crook, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake and Wheeler counties -- providing peer-support services and helping families navigate disability services in parts of the state where these resources are scarce.

But after the Education Department recently canceled the funding -- CODSN is warning that more than 4,000 Oregon families will be impacted by the cut.

"The Central Oregon Disability Support Network (CODSN) is heartbroken by the loss of