PRINTER'S NO. 3789
No. 764 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY MOUL, ARGALL, BAKER, BEYER, BISHOP, BOBACK,
BRENNAN, BROOKS, CALTAGIRONE, CAUSER, CLYMER, COHEN,
CREIGHTON, DALEY, DePASQUALE, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, EVERETT,
FAIRCHILD, FLECK, FRANKEL, GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GIBBONS,
GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HELM,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, KAUFFMAN, KILLION, KOTIK,
KULA, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ, MARKOSEK, McILHATTAN,
MELIO, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MOYER, MURT, MUSTIO, NAILOR,
NICKOL, PALLONE, PARKER, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, QUINN,
RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, ROCK, ROEBUCK, ROSS, RUBLEY,
SAINATO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SEIP, SIPTROTH, SONNEY,
STERN, SWANGER, TRUE, VULAKOVICH, J. WHITE, WOJNAROSKI AND
D. O'BRIEN, MAY 20, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 20, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing May 15 through June 15, 2008, as "Tourette Syndrome
2 Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, An estimated 200,000 people in the United States and
4 more than 3,000 citizens of this Commonwealth have been
5 diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, a neurobiological, genetic
6 condition which has no cure; and
7 WHEREAS, Tourette Syndrome is a developmental disability that
8 begins before a child reaches 18 years of age and affects
9 children and adults of all races and ethnicities; and
10 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome are affected by
11 tics and involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations
12 that occur repeatedly; and
1 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome must learn to
2 cope with these sudden movements or vocalizations that occur
3 thousands of times a day, every day; and
4 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome face periodic
5 changes in the nature and severity of their tics, as these
6 symptoms wax and wane and change without forewarning; and
7 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome frequently have
8 co-occuring conditions that further complicate their care and
9 diagnosis, including attention deficit disorder, attention
10 deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
11 mood disorders, learning disabilities, handwriting difficulties,
12 executive function disorder and sensory processing disorder; and
13 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome are frequently
14 misunderstood by their families, the community and even by the
15 medical profession due to their seemingly controllable behavior
16 and variety of symptoms; and
17 WHEREAS, Tourette Syndrome is misunderstood and thought to be
18 a condition of emotional disturbance instead of chemical
19 biology; and
20 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome are often
21 ostracized by the general public and children are disciplined
22 for various manifestations of their disability by educators who
23 do not understand that the child is not in control of his
24 actions and may be delayed in his maturity and emotional
25 responses; and
26 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome face
27 discrimination from educators, friends, family, employers,
28 coworkers and the judicial system while dealing with their
29 unpredictable disorder and uncertain future; and
30 WHEREAS, Schools are required to make accommodations to
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1 support their students with Tourette Syndrome to be successful
2 in their education program, however, many schools often resist
3 or limit services for a number of reasons, but most commonly due
4 to the full complexity of the disorder being misclassified as
5 behavioral or emotional; and
6 WHEREAS, Individuals with Tourette Syndrome are often very
7 intelligent and capable of great contributions to society when
8 given the proper support; and
9 WHEREAS, Employers are required under the Americans with
10 Disabilities Act (ADA) to disregard disability in hiring or
11 promotions and to make accommodations to support their employees
12 with Tourette Syndrome so the employees can be successful in the
13 workplace and not be forced to file for disability; and
14 WHEREAS, The employer can benefit from that success, however,
15 employers often neglect to hire, promote and make these
16 accommodations for individuals with Tourette Syndrome; and
17 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Tourette Syndrome Association,
18 Inc., has joined together with the National Tourette Syndrome
19 Association, Inc., to promote awareness and support improved
20 education, diagnosis, research and treatment; and
21 WHEREAS, Understanding this illness will help guarantee hope
22 for acceptance and a better future for people with Tourette
23 Syndrome; therefore be it
24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
25 needs of these individuals with neurological impairment and
26 recognize May 15 through June 15, 2008, as "Tourette Syndrome
27 Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania and urge all citizens to
28 support the search for a cure and to assist those individuals
29 and families who deal with this neurobiological syndrome every
30 day of their lives.
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