The United Spinal Association of Southeastern PA will hold an event on September 30 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Media at the Delaware County Courthouse front steps to advocate for the Pennsylvania House and Senate to pass legislation establishing a state Office for Individuals with Disabilities.
In March of 2021 both the House and Senate produced bills (HB547 & SB367) that would establish a state Office for Individuals with Disabilities. The legislation is languishing in both houses, however, with neither bill having been discussed in committee so far. The bills will expire if they don’t get voted on by the end of the current legislative session in November, and legislators will have to start from scratch next year.
The organizers of Friday’s event hope to put pressure on the legislature to move on the bills and allow the office to be established. “Public perception is that the ADA affords individuals with disabilities access to equal opportunity — but that is far from reality,” says the Spinal Association’s press release. “ADA was the opportunity. What we need now is to set forth a system. A Department of Disability Inclusion at the state level is what we are missing.”
