Bill Text: MO HCR52 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Specifies that the General Assembly affirms its commitment to equal rights of people with cognitive disabilities to technology and information access
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-16 - Referred: Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities(H) [HCR52 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2014-HCR52-Introduced.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 52
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES TORPEY (Sponsor) AND MCDONALD (Co-sponsor).
WHEREAS, twenty-eight million United States citizens have cognitive disabilities such as intellectual disability; severe, persistent mental illness; brain injury; stroke; and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease; and
WHEREAS, people with cognitive disabilities are entitled to inclusion in our democratic society under federal laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and under state and local laws; and
WHEREAS, the disruptive convergence of computing and communication technologies has substantially altered how people acquire, utilize, and disseminate knowledge and information; and
WHEREAS, access to comprehensible information and usable communication technologies is necessary for all people in our society, particularly for people with cognitive disabilities, to promote self-determination and to engage meaningfully in major aspects of life such as education, health promotion, employment, recreation, and civic participation; and
WHEREAS, the vast majority of people with cognitive disabilities have limited or no access to comprehensible information and usable communication technologies; and
WHEREAS, people with cognitive disabilities must have access to commercially available devices and software that incorporate principles of universal design such as flexibility and ease of use for all; and
WHEREAS, technology and information access by people with cognitive disabilities must be guided by standards and best practices, such as personalization and compatibility across devices and platforms, and through the application of innovations including automated and predictive technologies; and
WHEREAS, security and privacy must be assured and managed to protect civil rights and personal dignity of people with cognitive disabilities; and
WHEREAS, enhanced public and private funding is urgently required to allow people with cognitive disabilities to utilize technology and access information as a natural consequence of their rights to inclusion in our society; and
WHEREAS, ensuring access to technology and information for the twenty-eight million people with cognitive disabilities in the United States will create new markets and employment opportunities; decrease dependency on public services; reduce health care costs; and improve the independence, productivity, and quality of life of people with cognitive disabilities:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-seventh General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby affirm their commitment to equal rights of people with cognitive disabilities to technology and information access and call for implementation of these rights with deliberate speed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.
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