Concerns of people with disabilities addressed by laws

Thursday, July 21, 2011

By James R. Campbell/Nevada Daily Mail

A regional advocate for people with disabilities said Tuesday that two bills passed by state legislators this year "will definitely be a historic movement forward."

Jennifer Gundy, executive director of the non-profit On My Own, Inc., at 428 E. Highland Ave., said House Bills 555 and 648 will replace the words "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" in all state statutes, promote disability awareness and make parking accessible to lift vans.

Gundy said the measures "will lessen discrimination and bring awareness to the schools.

"These pieces of legislation were issues our advocacy teams worked on diligently all year," she said. "We are really pleased with Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R-Kansas City, and the other representatives who carried them."

Noting that On My Own also works in Bates, Cedar, St. Clair and Hickory counties, Gundy said, "Nevada schools have brought in speakers the last couple of years and hopefully this year we'll be able to reach some of the other districts.

"A lot of parking spaces were put in before the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was passed and they are therefore not truly accessible."

Gundy said On My Own works to advance the rights of disabled people and provides services to promote their independence.

The bills were signed July 12 by Gov. Jay Nixon, who said they will improve the lives of more than 100,000 disabled Missourians and their families. "This legislation helps ensure that, as a state, our words, actions and laws do not promote discrimination," said Nixon in Jefferson City.

"Words that are hurtful or hateful have no place on our books or in our hearts. This is about dignity, practicality and the need to ensure access and equality for Missourians with disabilities."

HB 555 was sponsored in the 96th Missouri General Assembly last spring by Grisamore and HB 648 by Rep. Genise Montecillo, D-St. Louis.

The laws replace the words "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" in state statutes and change the name of the State Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to the Division of Developmental Disabilities.

They add a mental health professional to the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee, make it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities when it comes to parental rights and require one in every four accessible parking spaces to be created or repainted after Aug. 28 and be lift van accessible.

Colleen Starkloff of Starkloff Disability Institute in St. Louis said the new designation of October as Disability History and Awareness Month will encourage schools to provide related instruction.

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More PC BS. What next...change the names of playing cards (not be able to call a spade a spade)?

-- Posted by Custom 1911 on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 7:29 AM
SO they changed a name in the law books, it will not matter as the TEA BAGGERS and GOP will cut all monies from any program that is for the poor, disinfranchised and do not have the ability to fight back. Yep you can always tell when a society is in it's finally throws as they alway attack the least able to defend themselves.

-- Posted by endersgame on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 3:32 PM
Howitzer - Maybe you have it wrong. Maybe when you get old, you get tired of fighting for what is right and your free-thinking goes away and then you become conservative. Just a thought :)

-- Posted by Quand on Fri, Jul 22, 2011, at 1:42 PM
Now if some of these agencies would pay more than minimum wage and offer benefits, there would be a story.

-- Posted by sam floor on Fri, Jul 22, 2011, at 2:24 PM
howitzer ... as for a few people getting their name in the paper yours is the most read name on here, I truly enjoy your posts dont get me wrong ... I have always said if it wasn't for you and all the other posts the daily mail would have lost its readers a long time ago. I support On My Owns efforts to stop discrimination of the disabled. As far as making the parking spaces van lift accessible trust me on this one when you need it you truly need it!

-- Posted by oldcardinalfan on Sat, Jul 23, 2011, at 7:45 PM
As far as making the parking spaces van lift accessible trust me on this one when you need it you truly need it!

Try this again, probably be deleted, but one thing that makes some of this unbelievable is, does the law say this space has to be at the closest point to an entrance? Plenty of space most times about half way thru the length of most lots. Accessible van probably means a power cart is to be used? Where is the problem of spaces being away from the doors. Just use more battery in the cart. Then there are issues of using Grannys' car during certain seasons to be able to park closer. Can handicapped not be given tickets when they park in non handicapped spaces if handicapped spaces are available. Well this should get it started again? Do any of you have any idea the difference between handicapped and disabled. LOOK IT UP!

-- Posted by cop=poc on Tue, Jul 26, 2011, at 7:19 PM

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