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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to disability history and awareness;

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creating the Pilot Project for Disability History and

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Awareness in Hillsborough, Leon, Pasco, and Pinellas

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Counties; providing for the respective county school

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boards to administer the project; providing requirements;

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encouraging schools to cooperate with community-based

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organizations; encouraging postsecondary institutions to

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conduct and promote related activities; providing for

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technical assistance; requiring a report to legislative

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education committees and the Commissioner of Education;

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providing appropriations; providing an effective date.

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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     Section 1. Pilot project for disability history and

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awareness; creation; administration.--There is created the Pilot

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Project for Disability History and Awareness in Hillsborough,

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Leon, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. Each county school board

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shall administer the pilot project in its county.

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     (1) During the state Disability History and Awareness

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Weeks, each public school in Hillsborough, Leon, Pasco, and

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Pinellas Counties shall provide instruction in disability

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history, people with disabilities, and the disability rights

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movement and shall strive to raise disability awareness.

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Disability history must include the people, events, and timelines

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of the development and evolution of services to, and the civil

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rights of, people with disabilities, including people with

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disabilities from this state, as well as acknowledged national

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leaders. Disability history must also include the contributions

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of specific people with disabilities. Disability awareness means

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a level of competence in working and interacting with, and living

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beside, people with different types of disabilities. The

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awareness aspect of the project must emphasize a "people-first"

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or socio-civil-rights model approach. The instruction must be

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integrated into the existing school curriculum in ways that

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include, but are not limited to, supplementing existing lesson

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plans, holding school assemblies, and providing other school-

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related activities such as disability-focused film festivals. The

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instruction may be delivered by qualified school personnel or by

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knowledgeable guest speakers, with a particular focus on

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including people with disabilities.

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     (2) Desired outcomes for this pilot program include:

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     (a) Better treatment for people with disabilities in

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society, especially for youth in school, and increased attention

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to preventing the bullying of students with disabilities.

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     (b) Promotion of the goal that, in the future, students who

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have been exposed to disability history and awareness will be

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more likely to hire, retain, and promote people with

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disabilities.

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     (c) Encouraging people with disabilities to have increased

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self-esteem, resulting in more people with disabilities gaining

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pride in being a person with a disability, going to college,

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leaving social security, entering the workforce, and contributing

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to their communities.

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     (3) In implementing the pilot project, the schools in the

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participating counties are encouraged to collaborate with

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community-based organizations such as centers for independent

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living, youth information centers, parent training and

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information centers, and other consumer-driven groups and

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disability membership organizations. Local businesses, internship

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programs, and mentoring programs should be included in outreach

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as well.

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     (4) State institutions of higher education are encouraged

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to conduct and promote activities that provide education,

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awareness, and understanding about disability history, people

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with disabilities, and the disability rights movement.

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     (5) The University Center for Excellence in Developmental

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Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) at the

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University of South Florida, in collaboration with the Florida

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Youth Council, shall provide technical assistance to the

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participants in the pilot project.

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     (6) After the first year of the project, the University of

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South Florida UCEDD, in collaboration with the Florida Youth

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Council, shall prepare a report of the implementation of and

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outcomes achieved by the pilot program and shall, by January 30,

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2009, submit the report to the education committees of the Senate

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and the House of Representatives and to the Commissioner of

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Education.

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     Section 2. There is appropriated from the General Revenue

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Fund to:

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     (1) The Hillsborough County School Board the sum of

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$10,000;

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     (2) The Leon County School Board the sum of $10,000;

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     (3) The Pasco County School Board the sum of $10,000; and

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     (4) The Pinellas County School Board the sum of $10,000

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to be used to implement the Pilot Project on Disability History

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and Awareness as described in this act.

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     Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.