COACH’S DISABILITY RIGHTS ACCOUNTABILITY & PROTECTION ACT

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Coach Terry’s Disability Rights Accountability & Protection Act

Proposed Effective Date: May 2, 2026

WHAT IS DRAPA?

Coach Terry’s Disability Rights Accountability & Protection Act (DRAPA) is a landmark statewide civil rights reform designed to make South Carolina a national leader in disability equality, safety, and accessibility.

DRAPA strengthens protections for students, working adults, families, and seniors with disabilities across schools, courts, law enforcement, hospitals, public agencies, and private businesses.

This Act was designed by Lawrence “Superstar” Terry, a disabled advocate, parent, sudden cardiac arrest survivor, and community leader who personally experienced many of the barriers DRAPA is written to fix.

WHY SOUTH CAROLINA NEEDS DRAPA

Disabled residents across South Carolina continue to face:

• Denied school accommodations
• Mishandled IEPs and 504 Plans
• Lack of AED access at schools and athletic fields
• Denial of prescribed medications in ERs and jails
• Retaliation after filing complaints
• Courtrooms without ADA coordinators or interpreters
• Police encounters lacking disability-informed de-escalation
• Businesses mistakenly believing ADA “does not apply to them”
• Parents banned or intimidated after advocating for their child

These gaps create civil rights violations, life-threatening emergencies, and unnecessary trauma.

DRAPA is the statewide solution.

TOP 10 THINGS DRAPA WILL DO

1. Create Mandatory ADA & Disability Response Standards Across All Agencies

Every school, court, jail, police agency, hospital, and public office must have:

• A posted ADA coordinator
• A public complaint process
• A 24-hour acknowledgment rule
• A 5-business-day ADA decision rule
• Standardized accommodations across settings

2. Guarantee School Disability Rights & IEP Enforcement

DRAPA requires:

• Annual IDEA/504 training for all staff — not just teachers
• Mandatory training for substitute teachers
• Facilitated IEP access upon request of either party
• State oversight of IEP implementation
• Stronger anti-retaliation protections for parents and students

3. Strengthen Student Athlete Safety (HEARTS Standards)

DRAPA makes South Carolina the first state to require:

• AEDs within a 3-minute round-trip of every athletic venue
• Functional cold tubs or emergency cooling capability
• Ice machines or guaranteed ice access at all sports facilities
• Clear Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for heat & cardiac events
• Annual heat illness, AED, and concussion training for coaches

This section honors the lives already lost and prevents future tragedies.

4. Require CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Training Statewide

DRAPA mandates:

• CIT training for a defined percentage of officers in every agency
• ADA-based de-escalation practices
• Crisis response protocols for anxiety, autism, PTSD, TBI, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, and more
• Clear medication access and medical-verification procedures

This reduces injuries, arrests, lawsuits, and fatalities.

5. Ensure Access to Prescribed Medications in Jails & ERs

Under DRAPA:

• No one can be denied cardiac, seizure, diabetes, or psychiatric medication unnecessarily.
• Medication access must be tracked, verified, and documented.
• ERs must allow a support person for individuals with sensory, cognitive, cardiac, or trauma-related disabilities.

This prevents avoidable medical emergencies and liability.

6. Expand Disability Protections in Courts

Courts must implement:

• ADA coordinators at every courthouse
• Interpreters, captioning, and assistive listening devices
• Remote proceedings for medical/cognitive reasons
• Medication access during hearings
• Sensory-friendly waiting accommodations
• Seating plans for service animals
• Juror, witness, and pro se litigant accommodations

This closes long-standing ADA gaps in the judicial system.

7. Strengthen Service Animal Protections

DRAPA prohibits:

• Demanding documentation for service animals
• Separating handlers from animals (except for safety)
• Denying access to courtrooms, businesses, hospitals, or agencies
• Interfering with the tasks of trained service animals

Also requires staff training on proper ADA service animal rules.

8. Protect Families from Retaliation

Retaliation is banned across:

• schools
• police departments
• jails
• DSS
• SCDMH
• courts
• public hospitals
• private businesses covered under ADA Title III

Examples of illegal retaliation under DRAPA:

• Banning parents after filing complaints
• Lowering grades after IEP requests
• Refusing communication
• Canceling services
• Harassment after ADA/504/IEP requests

9. Provide ADA Support for Businesses

DRAPA helps, not punishes, small businesses:

• Creates an accessibility technical-assistance center
• Offers voluntary audits and tax incentives
• Provides free ADA training
• Protects businesses from lawsuits if they complete DRAPA compliance steps

South Carolina becomes the nation’s most business-friendly ADA state.

10. Establish a Statewide Disability Rights Oversight Office

This office:

• Tracks ADA compliance
• Reviews retaliation cases
• Investigates systemic issues
• Coordinates with DOJ, OCR, and state agencies
• Issues annual public reports

This ensures transparency and accountability.

WHO BENEFITS FROM DRAPA?

✔ Students

✔ Parents

✔ Teachers

✔ Business owners

✔ Disabled adults

✔ Hospital patients

✔ Prisoners & detainees

✔ Police officers

✔ Court staff

✔ Aging adults

✔ Athletes

✔ Coaches

✔ Families

✔ Taxpayers

Everyone wins when rights are clear and systems work.

THE HEART OF DRAPA

“Your disability should not cost you your life, your dignity, your education, or your humanity.”

— Lawrence “Superstar” Terry, Act Author & Advocate

DRAPA protects the rights Coach Terry himself has fought for as a disabled man navigating schools, courts, hospitals, and public agencies across South Carolina.

EFFECTIVE DATE

May 2, 2026

Chosen in honor of the date Lawrence “Superstar” Terry survived a sudden cardiac arrest in 2018 — and committed his life to protecting others.

STATUS:

📌 Ready for 2026 Legislative Session

📌 Awaiting Sponsors

📌 Endorsements Now Open

📌 Public Comment Draft Available

Endorsement of Coach Terry’s DRAPA

Our organization/office supports the core goals and provisions of Coach Terry’s Disability Rights Accountability & Protection Act (DRAPA), including:

• ☐ Timely, written responses to ADA and accommodation requests
• ☐ Digital access and remote participation for disabled individuals
• ☐ Training for teachers, substitutes, aides, and law enforcement on ADA/504/IDEA and      crisis response
• ☐ Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), AED access, and heat-illness protections in schools and athletics
• ☐ Strong protections for service animals and puppies in training
• ☐ Independent Disability Rights Ombudsman oversight and public report cards
• ☐ Clear anti-retaliation protections and accessible enforcement

Organization Name: ___________________________________________

Contact Person & Title: _______________________________________

Email / Phone: _______________________________________________

Authorized Signature: ________________________________________

Date: ________________________

Please scan or photograph this signed endorsement and email it to:

support@restartingtheheart.com

Parent-Friendly One-Pager (IEP/504 Focus)

Title:

How DRAPA Protects Your Child in School

As a parent, you deserve:

• IEPs/504 Plans that are actually followed
• Trained teachers and substitutes
• Fair discipline
• Protection from retaliation
• Clear places to file complaints
• Safe athletics programs

DRAPA ensures:

• Mandatory IDEA/504 training for teachers AND substitutes
• Mandatory AED and heat safety standards
• School compliance audits
• Clear complaint pathways
• Anti-retaliation protections
• Awareness of disability rights for all staff

Why it matters:

Too many parents are punished, ignored, or pushed aside when they advocate for their child. DRAPA fixes this.