Bill Requires Wash. Responders to Receive Training to Work with People with Disabilities

State senators unanimously approved House Bill 1258, the Travis Alert Act, which would require training for firefighters, police and paramedics on how to work with people with disabilities. Its next stop is Gov. Jay Inslee's office; the bill's sponsor, Goldendale Republican Gina McCabe, expects Inslee to sign the bill into law.

But King said an unexpected result of the effort was seeing her 12-year-old autistic son, Travis, become more articulate and outgoing as a result of lobbying for the bill that bears his name.

"He's grown in a lot of aspects. Socially, he has blossomed," the Wapato woman said Wednesday. She and Travis attended each public hearing and each committee vote, and Travis testified about the bill each time in committee.

McCabe's first attempt to pass the bill failed last year when the Legislature adjourned before the Senate could vote on it. This year, the bill made it through both houses with strong support -- Moxee Republican Rep. Dave Taylor cast the only vote against the bill, arguing that it could expose first responders to liability issues.

But even if the bill had not passed, King said the changes in Travis as a result of the work on the bill would have been worth the effort. She said Travis' communication skills have improved; he will now greet people, shaking hands and looking them in the eye.

She also noted that Travis became more patient with the three-hour drives to Olympia, as well as sitting in committee rooms waiting for the bill to pass.

McCabe said she also noticed the changes in Travis, especially seeing him walking across the Capitol Campus and saying hello to lawmakers he recognized.

"At first, he wouldn't let me touch him, but now he hugs me and kisses me on the cheek," McCabe said.

Travis' presence on the hill, McCabe said, made it easier to pass the bill, as legislators could put a face to the issue.

In addition to the training provision, McCabe's bill also calls for a task force to look into the feasibility of adding information people voluntarily submit about disabilities to the 9-1-1 call system. King said she and her husband plan to volunteer on the committee.

___ (c)2017 Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) Visit Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) at www.yakima-herald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.