SCSILC Position Statement: Accessibility in SC Governmental Programs, Activities, and Services

SILC fully affirms the stance that state agencies have the legal responsibility, in compliance with the ADA, to designate and correctly train an ADA Coordinator on staff. Additionally, the SCSILC affirms what the ADA requires: ADA Coordinators, their role, and their contact information should be posted publicly online and in physical locations at a minimum. For a list of known ADA Coordinators in SC State Government visit the SCSILC’s listing.

SCSILC Position Statement: Emergency Preparedness and Disability Inclusion

The SILC fully affirms the stance that state and public agencies have an ethical and legal responsibility, in compliance with the ADA, to craft every plan serving members of the public to include the specifics of how the needs of the disability community will be met.

South Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council’s Position: Disability Simulations

Disability simulations are exercises in which participants without disabilities use a wheelchair, wear a blindfold, wear headphones or impose other limits that prevent participants from completing tasks how they normally would. While the use of disability simulations are often well-intentioned, their impact is harmful and directly opposed to the intended outcomes of compassion, awareness, and understanding.

SCSILC POLICY STATEMENT: MEDICAL RATIONING

“Medical rationing” is the practice of subjectively determining who receives medical care. Often, seniors and people with disabilities are viewed as less worthy of lifesaving medical attention when resources are scarce. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the disparity in access to medical supplies (e.g., ventilators, ICU beds), the practice of medical rationing is not limited to the current pandemic.