The Arc of Massachusetts recently submitted testimony on one of our priority bills: legislation to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in healthcare.
This bill is so critically important for the disability community. We stated in our testimony:
“Health equity is one of our top priorities, as people with disabilities frequently face discrimination when accessing the healthcare system. Be it implicit or explicit, discrimination against people with disabilities can have extremely dangerous consequences. Particularly for people with IDD, who may communicate or experience the world in different ways, healthcare discrimination is devastatingly common…this type of discrimination is even more common for individuals with intersecting marginalized identities. As Massachusetts continues to protect and uplift all marginalized communities, this bill is a common-sense approach to support our most vulnerable.”
Thank you to the many individuals who testified, to bill sponsors Senator Adam Gómez, Representative Mindy Domb, and Representative Vanna Howard, and Committee Chairs Senator Cindy Friedman and Representative John Lawn.