About 350 people attended the Developmental Disabilities and Delays Legislative Forum in November to speak with lawmakers, share their stories, and discuss legislative issues important to them. Sixteen elected officials joined the forum to hear from constituents.
How the legislative priorities connect to personal experiences
Community members addressed lawmakers and shared stories connected to each of the legislative priorities.
Read the legislative priorities in multiple languages here!
Hatty Banks shared her story with support from an agency provider who read her testimony in English. Hatty explained how language access played an important role in connecting her young daughter to necessary services.
“When we came to the U.S. last year, my daughter was only two years old. She was just beginning to pronounce a few words in French and Portuguese. This change in living conditions had greatly impacted her mental health. So crying and screaming had become her only way of communicating or expressing her emotions,” she said.
Her family connected with an agency that provides early supports for infants and toddlers and they worked with an interpreter.
“This program helped us as parents to understand the real problem that our daughter was experiencing. And during her different therapies we learned what we should do and how we could support a child who has a developmental delay to help her grow like all other children. Today the result is positive, our daughter has evolved a lot in her understanding and in her speaking.”
See all community members’ testimony on the forum webpage in multiple languages here, when you scroll down the page.
How services for developmental delays and disabilities intersect with other issues
King County Deputy Executive, Shannon Braddock gave opening remarks about work happening across King County and the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS).
“King County continues investing in affordable housing, behavioral health treatment and services, and access to education and employment. We know that all these issues have a big impact and intersect with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” she said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.