The Arc of North Carolina Policy Blog: October is Disability History and Awareness Month

Monday, October 1, 2007

October is Disability History and Awareness Month

On July 27, 2007 Governor Mike Easley signed Senate Bill 753: Disability History and Awareness Month into law. Starting today North Carolina recognizes October as Disability History and Awareness Month.

In honor of Disability History and Awareness we at The Arc of North Carolina offer some facts on Disability in America today.

*Senate Bill 753 was created during the North Carolina Youth Leadership Network Summit in August of 2006. Seventy-eight youth from around the state gathered to learn about disability history. These amazing young people met with elected officials during this past legislative session to encourage them to support this bill. Their voices and actions made this law a reality.

*North Carolina was the third state to pass this legislation. The first was West Virginia.

*In 1990, President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. The Act was founded on four principles: inclusion, full participation, economic self‑sufficiency, and equality of opportunity for all people with disabilities.

*The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law.

*According to the 2000 United States Census there are 1,117,577 people with disabilities living in the State of North Carolina.

*According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2003-2004 school year 193,956 students with disabilities were being served in North Carolina.

*Disability History and Awareness Month in North Carolina will increase public awareness and respect for people with disabilities who comprise a substantial percentage of North Carolina's population, teach future generations that people with disabilities have a rich history and have made valuable contributions throughout North Carolina and the United States, and ensure future generations understand that disability is a natural part of life and that people with disabilities have a right to be treated as individuals above all else.

Read the law:
http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2007/bills/senate/html/s753v4.html

Want to learn more about Disability History? Check out this link.
Berkley Leads:
http://pages.towson.edu/bhalle/dishist.html

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The Arc of North Carolina 2011 Legislative Agenda.

The Arc of North Carolina advocates for and with families and people with cognitive and developmental disabilities. We believe that the following legislative agenda promotes our goals of advocacy, inclusion, and access to the communities we live in.

The Arc of North Carolina Proposed Policy Agenda 2011

Budget:

The Arc of North Carolina understands the current budget constraints that the state of North Carolina finds itself in due to the economic recession. During this critical time it is more important than ever to protect needed services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. We encourage the members of the General Assembly to do the following things to protect the integrity of community-based services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities in our state.

No additional cuts to state-funded services for people with developmental disabilities.
Create a separate Developmental Disability management structure within DHHS.
Apply for 1915 (i) State Plan services for adults with developmental disabilities targeting supports that currently utilize state general fund appropriations and utilizing those funds a Medicaid match.
If Managed Care is inevitable, consider a statewide 1915b Developmental Disability Only Managed Care Waiver with 1915i services included.
Add an additional CAP-DD Waiver for people with developmental disabilities who have significant behavioral and or medical needs.
Raise the Supports Waiver limit to 25 thousand dollars.
Utilize the Supports Intensity Scale as an initial eligibility tool for entrance into the CAP waivers with a reconsideration process utilizing other information.
Manage all of developmental disability services from a state system utilizing existing local structures where appropriate.

Housing:
Fair Housing Act Amendment.

This legislation prohibits discrimination on the basis or receipt of housing assistance. Many people with disabilities receive housing assistance. This legislation if passed would assist in opening more housing opportunities to the disability community.

Education:
Study ways to allow students with developmental disabilities to access current courses in our community college system. Included in this study we must look at ways to offer real job skill training to students with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

HB 344: Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities

Other:

SB 248: Update Archaic Disability Terms

HB 234: Juror Qualifications/Disability

The Arc of North Carolina

Welcome to The Arc of North Carolina's official policy blog. The Arc has been serving people with disabilities for more than 50 years. In an effort to reach out to our statewide community about issues that effect us we have established this blog.

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