Ordinance 2010-096 is at the midst of the debate.
"As [the ordinance] is written right now, it is very restrictive. It violates the Fair Housing Act, it violates HIPAA and other provisions of federal law," said Dr. Terry Ryan, Superintendent for the CCBDD.
Dr. Ryan says the concern surrounds wording in the proposed ordinance that would restrict where people with developmental disabilities could live. It would also require those people to disclose the type of disability they have, and require 24-hour supervision, without regard to actual need for supervision.
"It also gives overly broad authority to city officials to determine who can live in a home," said Dr. Ryan.
[emphasis added]
Strongsville officials have cited among their reasons for proposing such a law and, ironically, to update the law to be in conformance with state and federal law, adding "safety concerns" for everyone.
Clearly this is an attempt to limit where people with disabilities can live in the community and to impose restrictions that make it impossible for them to live independently.
A meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday. Dr. Ryan indicates that Strongsville has committed to making substantial changes to the law.
No comments:
Post a Comment