Legislature: Real Lives Bill signed into law

A bill signed into law last week will give people with intellectual disabilities more say and greater control over the services they receive, as well as more control over their finances.

The Real Lives Bill was approved by the Legislature over the summer and signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick during a ceremony at Fenway Park last week.

State Rep. Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland, the bill’s lead sponsor, called the new law a “milestone” that will make a big difference for people with intellectual disabilities.

“The passage of the Real Lives Bill is a major landmark for disability rights in Massachusetts,” Sannicandro said in a statement. “This bill represents a fundamental shift in how we perceive people with disabilities by expressing a confidence in them as self-advocates whose own desires and interests should be central to their plans and their lives”

The law will allow individuals to choose how to spend their allocated dollars on the services they receive while offering them support in making those decisions, according to a release from Sannicandro’s office.

Along with the Real Lives Bill, Patrick also signed the Autism Bill and National Background Checks Bill into law last week. The Autism Bill eliminates the use of a IQ-based eligibility requirement for adult services and establishes state tax-advantaged accounts for families to better serve family members with disabilities, according to the release from Sannicandro’s office. The National Background Checks Bill will require people who work with people with disabilities to undergo state and national background checks.