Chesco committed to avoiding ‘R’ word
The Chester County Commissioners spent the majority of their Sunshine meeting on Tuesday, March 22, focusing on intellectual disabilities and domestic violence.
Commissioner Michelle Kichline read a proclamation for Intellectual Disability Awareness Month, stating that those with limitations both in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior are valued members of the community. The proclamation reinforced the county’s commitment to “early intervention, education, employment, and home and community-based services.”
The proclamation also said Chester County, “a leader in promoting inclusion, compassion and respect for this population, strives to support and empower individuals with an intellectual disability to find employment, develop relationships, pursue dreams and live fulfilled lives as valued members of their communities.”
“We are so appreciative of your continued support,” Bridget Thrash, deputy administrator for intellectual disability, told the commissioners, who signed pledges vowing not to use the “R” word.
Thrash explained that in 2009 a group of self-advocates approached officials in the Mental Health/Mental Retardation Department and suggested that the name was demeaning. Their pleas not only resulted in a change in the county’s department to Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities, they also prompted changes across the state.
A “Words Do Matter” bill sponsored by state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, sought to rename the 1966 Mental Health and Mental Retardation Act to the Mental Health and Intellectual Disability Act. It became law in 2011, she said, adding that the county hopes to display a full wall of signed pledges from people vowing to avoid using the “R” word at the Government Services Center.
Thrash said the kind of perseverance and determination the advocates demonstrated in 2009 continues to this day, and she introduced two women who have benefitted from the county’s services and who expressed their gratitude.
The commissioners also heard thanks from Dolly Wideman-Scott, CEO of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County. She accepted a $750,000 check for the construction of four permanent housing apartments for single women.
“I’m shaking with joy,” Wideman-Scott said, explaining that the funds would help keep more county residents safe. “Our county has always stepped forward.
The Domestic Violence center provides assistance to more than 3,000 victims of domestic violence and dependent children each year in the county. The center’s mission is to provide intervention, education, outreach, advocacy, and programs to prevent, reduce, and remedy domestic violence in Chester County, Wideman-Scott said.
During the past two years the center has struggled to find housing for domestic violence victims. The four units will contain a bedroom, kitchen, living area and bedroom. Construction will begin later this year and the units are scheduled to be finished early in 2017, officials said.
The money came through the federal block grant program administered by the Chester County Department of Community Development, said Pat Bokovitz, director of the county’s Department of Community Development. The center also received $750,000 in 2015.
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