LOWELL – The Disability Policy Consortium, one of the leading disability rights organizations, has selected a bill co-filed by state Rep. Vanna Howard (D-Lowell) and state Rep. Mindy Domb (D-Amherst) as one of its top three legislative priorities for the 194th General Court.
HD.2485 “An Act relative to preventing discrimination against persons with disabilities in the provision of health care” was co-filed by Howard and Domb to address explicit and implicit bias faced by people with disabilities in the health care system. State Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) filed a companion bill (SD.1130) in the Senate.
Speaking at a policy briefing at the State House on Thursday, Howard shared how the bill is of personal importance for her as a mother of a daughter with a disability.
“Having a disability doesn’t mean a reduced quality of life or mean someone should be pressured into decisions that aren’t right for them. Everyone, including people with disabilities, deserve the same right to lifesaving care.”
The other two top legislative priorities for the Disability Policy Consortium are HD.3617/SD.1384 “Acts Relative to Wheelchair Repair Requirements and Consumer Protection” filed by state Rep. Jim O’Day (D-Worcester) and state Sen. John Cronin (D-Fitchburg); and HD.1953/SD.1708 filed by state Reps. Rob Consalvo (D-Boston), Majorie Decker (D-Cambridge), and state Sen. Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester).
The O’Day and Cronin bill seeks to strengthen warranty protections and shorten repair times faced by Massachusetts residents using wheelchairs, thus saving taxpayers money. The Consalvo, Decker, and Kennedy bill seeks to make the Alternative Housing Voucher Program easier to access and administer, while increasing the maximum eligibility age from 60 to 62, thus improving program efficacy.
“This is a personal matter to me, I have a daughter who is disabled, and it is a daily challenge for her and many others to have the same access to the care they need,” Howard said. “It takes a village; it takes a community to come together to fight for the right for quality health care for people with disabilities.”
Vanna Howard is the state Representative for the 17th Middlesex District.
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