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Local organizations celebrate bill that would give disabled Americans right to choose services

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – A local non-profit is celebrating a bill introduced to Congress Tuesday that will give Americans with disabilities the right to choose how they receive their services.

Topeka Independent Living Resource Center, the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas and Kansas ADAPT support the Disability Integration Act.

The act would require private long-term care insurance to provide or offer home-based services as an alternative to institutions, such as nursing homes. Medicaid will pay for a nursing home, but there are long waiting lists for home-based care, something the act would address.

“It gives them options,” said Evan Korynta, the Operations Manager for Topeka Independent Living Resource Center. “It gives them choice to live in their own home, to live in their own community to be taxpaying members and members of society versus, the only option is being told ‘hey, you need help, you need to go into a nursing facility.’ For quality and way of life it’s huge.”

At 3 p.m., the organizations joined a live broadcast event with other celebrations across the nation.

https://www.wibw.com/content/news/Local-organizations-celebrate–504391831.html

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