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Description
Feb.19, 2014 - Councilman At-Large Dennis O'Brien discusses his legislation amending the Philadelphia Code to be less exclusive of those with disabilities following a ceremony in which Mayor Michael Nutter signed the bill into law. The law replaces references to "mental retardation" in the Code with references to "intellectual disability."
Interviewer/Producer: Teresa M. Lundy, City Council Media Fellow
Videographer/Editor: Joe Aquino, City Council Media Fellow
A
That's
a
great
celebration
of
the
individuals
they
have
intellectual
disabilities
and
autism
that
I've
known
for
the
greater
part
of
my
professional
life
and
it's
a
celebration
of
who
they
are
and
how
they
affect
positively
all
of
us
by
who
they
are
and
how
they
are
in
the
world
and
they're
unspoiled
by
prejudice.
As
so
there's.
No
reason
why
we
should
have
to
visit
present
prejudice
upon
them-
and
this
is
more
than
ceremonial.
It's
instructive
to
everyone.
That
being
mean
and
being
diminishing
and
destructive
is
not
acceptable.
A
And
now
we
are
setting
standards
in
Pennsylvania
for
all
over
the
world,
and
standards
are
opportunities
to
bring
everybody
on
the
same
positive
plane
and
these
individuals
with
intellectual
disabilities
encouraged
us
to
change
our
definitions
of
diversity
so
that
we
can
find
opportunities
for
them
that
they
can
perform
well
at
the
airport.
At
the
Smithsonian,
are
wonderful
institutions
and
really
make
Philadelphia
the
first
disability
friendly
city
on
the
planet.