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Enhancing the effectiveness of disability activism in Connecticut by organizing
and empowering individuals, families, groups, and organizations.
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Priorities
DISABILITY AGENDA
(September, 2006)
The Disability Advocacy Collaborative supports the full
integration of all people with disabilities into the life of
their communities. Integration - or inclusion - means more
than mere presence. It contemplates full participation in
the opportunities available to all citizens, including
economic, recreational and civic activities. The following
Priority Areas have been chosen because they affect all
people with disabilities, regardless of diagnosis or
impairment or severity thereof.
Work is important in the lives of all citizens in the
State of Connecticut, yet the unemployment rate for people
with disabilities exceeds 65%. The Collaborative calls for
the development of employment opportunities that offer
meaningful, competitively-paid and integrated jobs for
people with disabilities.
ACTION STEPS
 Require the inclusion of disability hiring goals in all
affirmative action plans, and the inclusion of disability
awareness in all mandatory diversity training by employers.
Develop transportation systems that provide access to
employment for people with disabilities.
Increase vocational support and employment training for
people with disabilities in both the public and private
sector.
Remove all remaining economic and other disincentives to
work for people with disabilities.
Provide tax and other incentives to employers to provide
work place accommodations and to hire people with
disabilities.
Housing that is safe and affordable is a fundamental need of
all people. The Collaborative calls for the development of
housing that is not only safe and affordable, but also
accessible and integrated, so that citizens with
disabilities can have real choices as to where they want to
live.
ACTION STEPS
Mandate training in Universal Design for all architects
and promote its use in all state-funded housing and the
State Building Code.
Expand housing options for people with disabilities that
are affordable, accessible, and integrated within the
community.
Enhance funding for Section 8 vouchers and state funded
rental assistance programs to increase the availability of
housing options for people with disabilities.
Provide grants, low interest loans and tax breaks for
modifications necessary to make existing housing more
accessible.
Transportation, whether public or private, is essential to
the social and economic health of all people, and indeed to
the state of Connecticut. The Collaborative calls for the
immediate development of public transportation that is
available, accessible and affordable to people with
disabilities, and for the development of new alternatives
for individuals that are both accessible and affordable.
ACTION STEPS
Increase the availability of accessible and affordable
public transportation and paratransit services for people
with disabilities statewide, especially in rural areas of
the state.
Require and fund regional cooperation among transit
providers so that inter-town transportation becomes a real
option for individuals with disabilities.
Enforce accessible parking regulations, ensuring that
permits go only to those who qualify, and provide better
enforcement against violators who abuse accessible spaces.
Require taxi providers to provide wheelchair accessible
vehicles.
Require property tax credits in all municipalities for
private vehicles that have been modified for people with
disabilities. (These are generally larger vehicles that are
expensive to modify and maintain and that use more gasoline
to operate.)
EDUCATION
Universal and high quality education for all citizens is
essential to the health of our democracy. The Collaborative
calls for full access to regular classrooms and the full
curriculum for all children with disabilities and for
increased opportunities in continuing and higher education
for adults with disabilities.
ACTION STEPS
Include students with disabilities in regular classrooms
with age appropriate peers in their neighborhood schools,
and provide the supports necessary for them to succeed in
these environments.
Increase the participation of vocational rehabilitation
programs in transition planning for high school students
prior to graduation, in order to improve employment and
higher education outcomes.
Increase the number of students with disabilities in
higher education programs. Require institutions of higher
education to report on recruitment, retention and graduation
rates of students with disabilities.
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Increase the involvement of vocational rehabilitation
programs with institutions of higher education
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Require increased training for high school guidance
counselors and special education teachers on post-secondary
opportunities for students with disabilities.
Improve diagnostic testing so that accurate assessments of
students’ disabilities and needs are made earlier.
Provide training and opportunities for students with
disabilities to learn and practice self-advocacy skills.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
All people have the right to live in the community of their
choice, and to fully participate in the economic, social and
civic life of their community. The Collaborative calls for
the development of consumer directed supports that enable
people with disabilities to be fully involved in the life of
their communities.
ACTION STEPS
Shift federal and state support dollars from institutional
to community-based services. Allow funding for supports to
follow the person, and not be tied to an institution.
Develop additional alternatives to jail, nursing homes,
the juvenile justice system, and detention centers for
children and adults with disabilities.
Fund public awareness programs on disability issues and
promote people-first (i.e., respectful) language in all
governmental documents.
Make information about community supports readily
available to people with disabilities and their families.
Promote inclusiveness in programs offered by municipal
agencies, state government, and private businesses
Enforce ADA requirements in both public and private
facilities and programs.
HEALTH CARE
Health care is critical for all people, but especially for
people with disabilities. The Collaborative calls for broader access to quality and affordable health care for people with disabilities.
ACTION STEPS
Create incentives for doctors and dentists to participate in
Medicaid and Medicare.
Increase training for health care providers on disabilities
and the need to treat people with disabilities with respect.
Create a network of patient advocates to assist both health
care providers and patients with disabilities in
understanding each other.
Fund home and community based long term care services to
prevent unnecessary institutionalization of people with
disabilities.
- Support pilot programs and Medicaid waivers that expand
community living and working options.
Provide affordable and comprehensive health insurance for
adults with disabilities and for families caring for
children with disabilities.
- Require parity for mental health services
with other covered services at the federal
level.
Protect access to prescription medications for people with
disabilities on Medicaid and Medicare.
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DISCLAIMER:
Inclusion of
an event, article or legislative initiative does not imply endorsement
by CDAC, nor can CDAC guarantee that all information provided is
accurate or current. |
The Collaborative is
supported by a grant the CT Disability Advocacy Collaborative received from the
Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities. In addition, in-kind support
is being provided by the UConn Center on Disability, and Communitas, Inc. serves
as the project’s fiscal agent. To all three we extend our appreciation.
© CT Disability Advocacy Collaborative 2007
All Rights Reserved.
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