By:  Madla                                            S.C.R. No. 80
       73R3782 BNL-D
                                 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, The recent implementation of the federal Americans
    1-2  With Disabilities Act (ADA) has focused greater attention on the
    1-3  unique needs of persons with physically, mentally, or emotionally
    1-4  handicapping conditions; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Such individuals can live productive and fulfilling
    1-6  lives when given technical assistance, therapy, training, and
    1-7  support, and the State of Texas offers a wide array of such
    1-8  services under the auspices of several different health and human
    1-9  services agencies; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, Simply having these services available, however, is
   1-11  not enough; those citizens in need of assistance must be able to
   1-12  locate and use the programs that are most beneficial to them, and
   1-13  that process is complicated by the current, uncoordinated system
   1-14  that houses services in several different state agencies while
   1-15  failing to provide a cohesive picture of all available services;
   1-16  and
   1-17        WHEREAS, Deaf-blind individuals are particularly at risk
   1-18  because services for them are offered through as many as five
   1-19  different state agencies, each of which has different criteria for
   1-20  evaluating persons applying for aid; many of these agencies work
   1-21  within certain age limits, and as individuals grow older and age
   1-22  out of one program, they often remain unaware that other programs
   1-23  exist at different agencies to serve their changing needs; and
   1-24        WHEREAS, Moreover, many individuals who are deaf-blind also
    2-1  have additional disabilities that qualify them for a variety of
    2-2  other services, but persons with multiple disabilities are rarely
    2-3  encouraged to pursue all the forms of aid that exist for them and
    2-4  often they are unaware that they qualify for additional programs;
    2-5  and
    2-6        WHEREAS, Even when individuals in need of help are aware of
    2-7  the opportunities available to them, they are often impeded in
    2-8  their attempts to obtain services by the very disabilities that
    2-9  qualify them for the aid; if these individuals are unable to apply
   2-10  for services to which they are entitled because they cannot
   2-11  communicate with the provider or because they cannot arrange
   2-12  transportation to an agency office, then the existing programs are
   2-13  not meeting the needs of those whom they are intended to serve; and
   2-14        WHEREAS, Service providers must employ more workers, such as
   2-15  communication and mobility specialists, who are familiar with the
   2-16  specific needs of their clients if they hope to address this
   2-17  serious problem, and the provisions of the ADA require that they do
   2-18  so in a timely fashion; and
   2-19        WHEREAS, State agencies can vastly improve the quality and
   2-20  efficiency of current health and human services programs by
   2-21  streamlining their operations, by informing their clients of all
   2-22  available programs, and by ensuring that all Texans have equal
   2-23  access to state services,  and in doing so they will bring the
   2-24  State of Texas into greater compliance with the tenets of the ADA;
   2-25  now, therefore, be it
   2-26        RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-27  hereby direct all state agencies that are involved in the provision
    3-1  of health and human services to people with disabilities to develop
    3-2  and implement policies to improve access to state services by
    3-3  persons with disabilities and to monitor compliance with these
    3-4  policies by their contracted service providers.