WE’RE MAKING PROGRESS: PUBLIC HEARING TO CHANGE THE HANDICAPPED PARKING SIGN AT LOB ON MONDAY 2/22/16 We need people to testify and to submit testimony supporting HB 5050, An Act Concerning Modernizing Parking Signs for People with Disabilities. Testimony is scheduled to begin before the legislature’s Government, Administration and Elections Committee (GAE) at noon, Monday, February 22nd in Room 2B of the Legislative Office Building (LOB). If you are available to testify, please e-mail Bill Neagus, Favarh’s business developer by 9 a.m. Monday so that he can register you as a speaker. His e-mail is wneagus@favarh.org. If you can’t testify in person, we need you to provide short written testimony in support of the bill. your written testimony should include: - Bill title and name: HB 5050, An Act Concerning Modernizing Parking Signs for People with Disabilities. - Date: Monday, February 22, 2016 - Committee name: Government, Administration and Elections Committee (GAE) - Who you are, where you are from (home address or business), and title: - Brief Statement of Support and why: see below for ideas. - Action request: Please vote in favor of this bill. - Thank them for their consideration - Your Contact info in case they have questions - That’s it. You can email written testimony in Word or PDF format to: GAEtestimony@cga.ct.gov Here are some, but not all, reasons you may support this bill: • The proposal would change the icon on the well-known accessibility signs from a stick-figure in a wheelchair to a figure leaning forward, showing movement. This suggests the independence and engagement of those with accessibility needs. • The updated version also reflects the diverse community of people who use accessible parking, most of whom do not use wheelchairs but nevertheless have accessibility needs. • The bigger purpose is to change ATTITUDES of the general public towards people with accessibility needs. • The word “handicapped” should be replaced by “reserved” for parking signs because “handicapped” is offensive to many. It indicates helplessness and those with accessibility needs are anything but helpless. • The new signs would not cost taxpayers anything extra. The new signs would only be used for new construction or to replace older, worn-out signs. Thank-you very much for your support!