By Journalist Kennedy Thomason (OSU)
When Rep. Hutchins (OU) wheeled up to school, she expected to be able to get in the door.
Instead, when she pushed the handicapable button, the door didn’t budge.
“If you have ever tried to maneuver yourself in a wheelchair over a door threshold, it’s not easy,” Hutchins said. “Especially when the person who’s supposed to be helping you has to be holding the door because the button that’s supposed to help you in these situations won’t work.”
Although Hutchins only used the wheelchair for one week due to a sprained ankle, it opened her eyes to the lack of functional accessibility in schools.
On Saturday morning in the House, Hutchins presented the “Judy Heumann” act, OU-505, which would require public schools to have an ADA coordinator conduct an inspection every four years. It passed unanimously.
The inspection would ensure the school is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Failure to have inspections completed would result in an initial $500 fine, with compounding fines following each subsequent failure to complete an inspection. All collected money would be donated to Special Olympics Oklahoma.
When Hutchins presented the same legislation last session, she faced pushback.
Hutchins said representatives were wary of donating the money instead of investing it back into the schools.
“I see where they’re going with that,” Hutchins said. “But I decided to keep Special Olympics Oklahoma because first, I think we should be funding that program as a state in any way that we can, and we currently don’t.”
Hutchins said donating to Special Olympics Oklahoma would not only provide money to an underfunded organization, but also would provide an effective penalty for schools.
“I also believe that my bill is very lenient, on purpose, because I do not want public schools to pay money,” Hutchins said. “The point of the bill is to make sure they are providing for their students. But if they get to the point of needing a penalty, I believe it should be a penalty.”
Although Hutchins’ personal experience served as the primary reason she wrote the bill, Judy Heumann, who the bill is named after, was part of the inspiration behind it.
Heumann, who died in March, was a well-known face of the disabilities rights movement.
Heumann was integral to the passage of several pieces of legislation, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, according to her website, judithheumann.com.
Heumann used a wheelchair after contracting polio as a child, which left her with a permanent disability. She turned the obstacles she faced because of her disability into a passion for advocacy.
Hutchins said Heumann’s lifelong advocacy and success were more than enough to name her bill after the renowned figurehead.
“I really wanted to honor her in any way possible,” Hutchins said.