Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 911 Disability Form Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Witness urges changes to 9‑1‑1 disability‑indicator form to include mental‑health and language access
Summary
Advocates told the committee H.B.2633 would make Massachusetts’ 9‑1‑1 disability‑indicator form more useful by including mental‑health indicators, simplifying language to a fifth‑grade level and adding input from affected families and disability advocates.
Carrie Knowworthy, a veteran and family caregiver, told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security that the statewide 9‑1‑1 disability‑indicator form should be revised to better serve people with mental‑health, developmental and complex medical needs and to improve outcomes for first responders.
“The goal of this bill is to increase the safety and improve outcomes for persons with disabilities to include mental health, which is, believe it or not, not on the form right now,” Knowworthy said. She said the form should be accessible at a fifth‑grade reading level, address language‑access needs and allow families and caregivers to indicate relevant behaviors and conditions that would help first responders de‑escalate and respond appropriately.
Knowworthy told lawmakers the infrastructure already exists and that the form is available online, but that the content does not reflect the needs she and families have identified through lived experience. She called for stakeholder input prior to release if the bill passes and urged the committee to report the measure out of committee.
No fiscal estimates or formal votes were recorded during the hearing.
