Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disability Awareness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears bill to designate July as celebrating disabilities month, including lived‑experience testimony
Summary
Sponsors asked the committee to recognize July as 'Celebrating Disabilities Month' to honor contributions of Ohioans with disabilities; testimony included personal accounts stressing inclusion, need for accommodations and celebration rather than only instruction.
Representatives Jerrells and Christine Coughley presented sponsor testimony for House Bill 32 to designate July as 'Celebrating Disabilities Month' in Ohio. The testimony foregrounded the Americans with Disabilities Act, argued that awareness instruction does not go far enough, and urged a designation focused on celebration, inclusion and removing stigma.
Representative Jerrells said Ohio should "recognize that disability is not something to be pitied or hidden, but embrace as part of the rich tapestry" and emphasized the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce and society. Representative Christine Coughley testified from lived experience about ADHD, described the need for workplace accommodations and everyday barriers (for example, access to restrooms and universal changing tables), and said the designation would facilitate awareness, acceptance and community support.
Committee members commended the testimony and asked whether Ohio already had awareness rules in law; sponsors said current Ohio Revised Code provisions require instructional time about disabilities but do not frame a celebratory designation. The committee took testimony and no vote was recorded at the hearing.
