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FOR RELEASE: May
2, 2018
Governor
Kasich Signs Bill to Improve Interactions
Between Individuals with Communication Disabilities and Law Enforcement
Columbus, OH – A bill that will help improve
the interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with
communication disabilities was signed by Governor John Kasich on May 2, 2018. House
Bill 115, sponsored by Representatives Scott Wiggam and Theresa Gavarone, was unanimously
passed by the Ohio Legislature on April 11.
Anyone
with a diagnosed communication disability can voluntarily enroll
in a database that connects to the LEADS (Law Enforcement Agencies Data
System). An officer can then be made aware that the driver, or a person in
the vehicle, may have difficulty communicating with the officer. The initiative
will help avoid a situation that could become harmful to an individual with a
communication disability or an officer.
“The
passing of this bill is important to all individuals with communication
disabilities and their families,” said OOD Director Kevin Miller. “I know
personally, how much parents worry when their child with autism or a hearing
disability is driving on their own. My son, Connor, is on the autism spectrum, and
this tool can make a difference when a traffic stop occurs.”
OOD will
provide a form on the agency’s website that individuals can take to their
licensed medical practitioner, who can validate that the individual does have a
communication disability. The information will be protected by the state
firewall and is not public. Individuals will also have the option to opt out of
the database at any point.
Groups
that supported HB 115 are the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI),
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Deaf Services Center, Ohio
Association for the Deaf, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Ohio Coalition
for the Education of Children with Disabilities, and National Multiple
Sclerosis Society.
OOD
is the state agency responsible for assisting individuals with disabilities to
gain meaningful employment, to live independently or receive disability
benefits through the Social Security Administration. www.ood.ohio.gov.
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