The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities has until the end of March to come up with money to stay afloat, but their public plea for help seems to have gone unanswered.

"Maybe I'm not articulating clearly the work that we do, or maybe people don't care, I don't know," said Michelle Murdoch, the president and chairperson of the coalition.

Murdoch said unless the group finds $35,000 before the end of March, the coalition's office will close.

"It's not big dollars, but it's big dollars to us," said Murdoch.

The coalition has been hit with cuts to provincial and federal funding, and without that money Murdoch said the group cannot pay for its accessible office space, an executive director, and someone to do policy research.

The group has made a public plea for help, but so far no one has stepped up.

"I can't tell you how disappointed I am," said Murdoch. "I feel desolate about it, but I just don't know what else to do. We've reached out and tried to find options and we can't seem to find them."

Extra workload

"The number of individuals out there with disabilities who need this service is huge," said Sherry Gambin-Walsh, the executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association for Community Living.

Sherry Gambin-Walsh of the Association for Community Living is concerned a closure might mean an increase in workload for her group. Sherry Gambin-Walsh of the Association for Community Living is concerned a closure might mean an increase in workload for her group. (CBC )

"And when you can't speak up for yourself, you're not heard in society."

Gambin-Walsh's group advocates for people with intellectual disabilities. She said many people who turned to the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities will likely turn to her group if the coalition shuts down.

She says that would bring its own issues

"Our workload is going to increase dramatically if the coalition is gone," said Gambin-Walsh. "I'm very fearful of that, of the workload we're about to face."

The coalition's fate was supposed to be decided Wednesday night. Board members had planned a meeting to vote on whether or not to close, but the meeting was cancelled because of stormy weather.