MN HF193

Creates new Minnesota Statutes section 256E.365 requiring the commissioner of human services to establish accessibility guidelines for emergency and domestic violence shelters serving individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Shelters receiving county or state funding, including medical assistance reimbursements, must provide sensory-friendly space or sensory accommodation tools upon request, accommodate intake processes based on shelter and client needs, and maintain written policies reviewed semiannually by all staff and volunteers with direct client contact.

Written accessibility policies must be submitted to the Minnesota Council on Disability every two years and include information about accessibility laws, best practices for supporting clients with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and accommodation request procedures.

Requires all emergency and domestic violence shelter staff and volunteers with direct client contact to complete annual training in developmental and intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral supports, and crisis de-escalation.

Appropriates unspecified amounts from the general fund for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to the commissioner of human services for emergency shelter accessibility training purposes.