Tina introduces package of proposed legislation to help adults with developmental disabilities
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| That's Heumann right up front |
“Heumann was fearless, loving and dedicated. Without her and the movement she helped build, we would be living in a very different America,” said Representative Spears, (D-Dist. 36, Charlestown, Westerly, South Kingstown, New Shoreham).
“It’s now up
to all of us to continue this work. Many of our neighbors with disabilities
still face inexcusable discrimination.”
Heumann, who passed away on March 4, contracted polio as a toddler and used a wheelchair for mobility the rest of her life. She was denied a public education and later denied a teaching job because school officials felt her wheelchair was a fire hazard.
She helped build a movement for
disability rights that culminated in a 28-day sit in at federal buildings in 11
cities across the country, including Boston. The sit-in succeeded in pressuring
the Nixon administration to implement the first federal protections for
individuals with disabilities. Heumann had been slated to come to Rhode Island
to speak about disability rights when she passed.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I met Ms Heumann a couple of times. The first when I staffed a Legal Services conference in Minneapolis in the late 1970s that brought hundreds of disability activists together to discuss not just the law, but also the need to organize. A few years later, when disability rights activists were campaigning in Washington, they wanted to set up a wheelchair blockade of then House Speaker Newt Gingrich's DC residence which was the Methodist Building where, by coincidence, I also had an office. Having no luck catching Newt on his doorstep, I tipped them off to the basement exit Newt had been using to get past the picket line which they promptly blockaded.
- Will Collette
One bill (2023-H 5996) Representative Spears has introduced would remove income limits for people with developmental disabilities to qualify for Medicaid. Currently, most individuals with developmental disabilities qualify for Medicaid. But if they earn more than 250% of the federal poverty level or have more than $10,000 in savings, they lose their insurance. That, critics say, disincentivizes work and condemns individuals with disabilities to a life of poverty.
“How can we tell someone that if they have $10,000 in the
bank for their retirement, they are too rich to keep their Medicaid?”
Representative Spears said. “We should be empowering individuals with
disabilities to work, contribute to the economy and reach their full potential.”
A second bill (2023-H
5633) would require the state to provide inflation increases to individuals
living with developmental disabilities on Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSI provides monthly payments to adults and children with a disability or
blindness who have income and resources below specific financial limits.
Currently, that payment is capped by the state. The bill would tie SSI
increases to the inflation index used for Social Security.
A third bill (2023-H
6119) would increase the Medicaid rate of reimbursement for ambulance and
wheelchair van services to not less than ninety percent (90%) of Medicare rates
for the same medical services. Currently, Medicaid pays less for these
services, impacting the ability of providers to recruit and retain staff and
ensure the services are provided in a timely way. This would improve
transportation services to individuals with developmental disabilities and
others on Medicaid, helping them get to necessary appointments.
“Each of these bills is a step forward on the road to
equality for our neighbors living with disabilities,” said Representative
Spears. “We stand on Judy Heumann’s shoulders as we carry on her legacy.”