Bill Text: CA SCR91 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Inclusion Month.

Sponsorship: Broadly Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2022-06-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 74, Statutes of 2022. [SCR91 Detail]

Download: California-2021-SCR91-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  May 17, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Concurrent Resolution

No. 91

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Introduced by Senator Hurtado

March 30, 2022

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Relative to public social services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SCR 91, as amended, Hurtado. Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Inclusion Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of May 2022 as Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Inclusion Month.

Digest Key

Fiscal Committee: NO  

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Bill Text

WHEREAS, Through the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State of California has empowered people with developmental disabilities to lead lives of greater inclusion in the community for over 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Those disabilities are defined as autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and conditions either closely related to or requiring similar services as intellectual disability that significantly impact the life of the individual; and

WHEREAS, There are over 350,000 people with developmental disabilities currently receiving services through the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, which supports families keeping their children in the family home, and promotes independent life for adults; and

WHEREAS, The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act created regional centers to provide lifelong planning for individuals and their families, with service providers giving the day-to-day support needed to enact those plans; and

WHEREAS, Over time, the people of California have come to understand that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families can and should make decisions for themselves, instead of having outcomes dictated to them, and that making these choices with as much or as little support as needed and desired more effectively recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of these individuals; and

WHEREAS, Many years of public advocacy campaigns, personal experiences, and individuals or groups acting as informal ambassadors, have raised the awareness of both specific disabilities and developmental disabilities generally; and

WHEREAS, This involves awareness not only of individuals but also unique individual needs and contributions; and

WHEREAS, As these campaigns have become more common, so too has public awareness and acceptance; and

WHEREAS, This progress is to be both celebrated and built upon; and

WHEREAS, The opportunity for full inclusion and community membership is the next logical step in the progress California must make to fully realize the promise of the Lanterman Act; and

WHEREAS, Many people with developmental disabilities are being included in our workplaces as fellow employees who add value to our labor and, as described in a 2012 study in the Professional Safety Journal, have higher productivity, lower turnover, and better on-the-job safety; and

WHEREAS, With varying degrees of support, an increasing number of people with developmental disabilities are living more self-defined and independent lives, including through the Self-Determination Program, being welcomed into communities of their choosing as neighbors and friends, and enhancing these communities through their diversity, contributions, and perspectives; and

WHEREAS, Many students with developmental disabilities are being included in our schools as fellow students whose participation often enhances the learning experience of their peers, with nearly two-thirds of such students spending more than 80 percent of their time in regular education classes, more than double the rate three decades ago; and

WHEREAS, The academic path of an increasing number of students with developmental disabilities is extending into postsecondary opportunities, including city colleges and four-year universities; and

WHEREAS, People with developmental disabilities have been provided separate leisure opportunities, but now a growing number are being included in integrated recreational activities as fellow athletes, game players, humorists, and all manner of pursuits that enliven our free time; and

WHEREAS, A growing number of families in California have a family member with a developmental disability and know that inclusion is a crucial element for their loved ones’ future success; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the month of May 2022 as Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Inclusion Month and encourages residents to show support for the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all parts of community life; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.