	November 1998

Sauerbrey Position Paper

Position Paper on Disability Issues of Ellen Sauerbrey, appearing before The Maryland Disabilities Forum on September 28, 1998:

Maryland cannot afford to waste productive individuals or to have individuals performing at less than their capacity. Maryland's job growth is almost dead last in the nation, yet, the businesses that are here often have difficulty finding people for the jobs that they need to fill.

Many of these jobs are good-paying high-tech jobs and, with the help of technology, persons with disabilities could perform these jobs. At the same time, Maryland must ensure that the social safety net operates effectively to help take care of those who cannot help themselves.

I commend the people with disabilities, their advocates, and the providers who serve and support them for their hard work to obtain the resources to address critical problems facing people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act brought about many gains, but much more progress can be made. As Governor, I will take the necessary steps to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are protected and to eliminate the barriers that government and society, usually unintentionally, set before them. These barriers prevent access to transportation, education, housing, and employment. The cumulative effect of these barriers can be devastating and deny both individuals and our society the benefits of the energies and abilities of persons with disabilities.

Throughout my years in the legislature, I was proud to have wide support in the community that fights to help those with disabilities. I have received awards from Advocates for the Handicapped, Disabled American Veterans, and Baltimore Association of Retarded Citizens. I have served on the Government Affairs Committee of United Cerebral Palsy - Central Maryland and as State Secretary and Board member of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. As Governor, I will work with individuals, families, advocates, and providers to maximize accessibility, independence, and choices for needed care. I will make a "place at the table" so that representatives of these groups will have an opportunity to contribute to my administration's decision-making process early. I will find qualified individuals for my administration who understand not only budgetary implications and restrictions but also the needs of people with disabilities and those who provide care for them.

ISSUES AFFECTING THE BROAD COMMUNITY

Transportation: Lack of access to transportation affects all - the physically and developmentally challenged, the visually impaired, and the elderly. First, I will work to coordinate existing services and ensure that all state agencies providing transportation money allow for cross-categorical use. Then I will work to expand service to areas of the state where public transportation is not available. My administration will vigorously pursue public/private partnerships to increase access to transportation.

Employment: The 60% of this population that is working is under-employed - an economic resource that Maryland is wasting. Current tax credits for employers of persons with disabilities should be continued and possibly expanded. I support the use of federal grants with the Kennedy Krieger institute to conduct workshops for businesses on the Americans With Disabilities Act. I will also work to ensure that the rights and responsibilities of employer and employee are well-defined to encourage full implementation of the law.
Education: I am fully committed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The majority of persons with disabilities can and should be included in regular community schools. But choices and options must be available so that the rights of all learners and the teachers can be protected. Individuals who have profound cognitive limitations or serious emotional or behavioral problems may require some altering of the environment. If special classrooms or sc! hools are the informed choice of parents or guardians and students, that choice, if not detrimental, should be respected. I also want to find ways to reduce the time and money the state spends to resolve problems between parents/lawyers and the LEAs. These considerable resources could be far better spent on our positive goals, and I will work to implement preventative measures such as ombudsmen and parent education centers.
Technology: I am committed to find ways to use private, third party, and public resources to assist persons with disabilities who need technology to be productive, integrated citizens with a reasonable quality of life.
Housing: I want parents/guardians and the persons with disabilities to have as many choices as possible in living arrangements. I will work with the private sector to increase options available, as well as to improve the quality of options. Current building practices that include universal design concepts should be encouraged to provide choices for the elderly as well as persons with disabilities.
Health Insurance and Managed Care: Managed care and Medicaid were never designed for chronically ill patients, individuals with disabilities, or persons who need long-term care. My Health Care Reform platform commits to working to provide more choices for insurance and care for low-income individuals, as well as improving the accountability of HMOs.
Sale of Assets: The proceeds from the sale or redeployment of major tracts of land or facilities that service the disabled should be placed in a trust fund that will be reinvested into services that will enhance the quality of life of that population.

ISSUES IN INDIVIDUAL DISABILITY CATEGORIES

Developmentally Disabled: The state of Maryland has chronically under-funded treatment programs for the developmentally disabled. As a legislator, I repeatedly supported and requested increased funding to shorten the waiting list - repeated requests that were never honored by the administration. As Governor, one of my first budget priorities will be to increase the assistance needed to reduce the waiting list and to ease the burden on caregivers who do not want to be forced into turning over this care to institutions and the state. I believe that most of the developmentally disabled benefit from community placement. Small congregate facilities must be available for those that desire and can function well in this type of environment. Any resources saved in the downsizing and redesigning of congregate facilities should be redeployed into the community-based system. However, there will always be a small percentage of the developmentally disabled for whom community placement is not appropriate - individuals who are profoundly retarded with complicated medical conditions and physical disabilities. A community residence may not be able to provide the necessary level of care and protection. We must continue to support the appropriate facilities for such individuals, dealing effectively with problems of upgrading facilities and providing adequate staffing. While some students thrive in their community schools, special needs students are often not being served adequately. I will form a task force in each county, composed of local educators, advocates, and parents to determine and identify successful programs, as well as regions and schools which are not performing well. We will work out policies and programs that meet the special needs of these students, the expectations of their parents, and federal guidelines. Many cases of retardation can be avoided through maternal discretion during pregnancy. We need to give some young mothers the training needed for pre-natal care that will ensure a healthy child by working with churches, healthcare professionals, and community organizations I will also support a vigorous public education program to raise public awareness about behaviors that cause mental disability such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Hearing Impaired: Parents should be able to choose among the Maryland School for the Deaf and a continuum of services for their deaf children. The Relay services and other communications services should be made available through the telephone surcharge, and this fund should be used to improve communications for all persons with disabilities.
Visually Impaired: I will ensure that recent legislation regarding non-visual computer and information system access will be strictly adhered to by all state agencies in the provision of citizen services. Reasonable accommodations must be made to provide options to print media and computer displays. The Radio Reading Network of Maryland is an example of a public-private partnership that can serve as a model for other programs. I will support and work to expand such public-private partnerships. Physically disabled: Persons with severe physical disabilities have unique needs for personal care, and I will work to expand the personal c! are program. I will also examine innovative programs in other states for testing in Maryland.
Mentally Ill: I will support long-term treatment programs with safety nets to ensure support of the chronically mentally ill.
AIDS-HIV: My public health policy will include funding for the treatment of AIDS and HIV infection, as well as prevention and education efforts. I will support efforts to bring triple-drug therapy to the HIV-infected population. I will fully fund MADAP, and I will extend it to the prison population. I will increase funding for the AIDS Administration, but I believe the current administration has established the wrong priorities. Governor Glendening has sponsored basic science research, spending $9 million to bring a famous AIDS researcher to Maryland, but has spent little on case identification and treatment. The federal government, with its vast resources, is in a much better position to sponsor basic research. Maryland's efforts should be to deal with the public health aspects of AIDS in this state.

Authority:
Mark L. Lampe, PA Treasurer
8600 LaSalle Road, Suite 105
Towson, MD 21286
410-823-7010
Fax:410-823-7086
Web Address: http://www.ellensauerbrey.com

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