Disability History Training sections:
What is a disability? > Disability Awareness and Etiquette > Service Animals > Independent Living Movement > What is a Center for Independent Living? > Americans with Disabilities Act > Ron Yost, a West Virginia Hero
Ron Yost, a West Virginia Hero
Ron Yost, a person with a disability, believed that people with disabilities should have a choice – the choice to live in their own home and not a nursing home.
Until the 1990's, people with disabilities often lived in nursing homes.
Ron was a person with a disability. Ron's only choice was to live in a nursing home – until he got a job with Mountain State Centers for Independent Living. Ron was one of the first people to work at Mountain State Centers for Independent Living.
Ron no longer had to live in a nursing home and was able to live in his own home with the help of personal assistance services. As a person with a disability who was employed, Ron was able to afford to pay for personal assistance services.
Ron advocated to create a law that would provide assistance to people with disabilities in West Virginia.
In 1999 the West Virginia legislature passed the Ron Yost Personal Assistance Services (RYPAS) Act, so that people with disabilities could live in their own homes and communities.
Personal Assistance Services
Personal Assistance Services provides assistance for individuals with disabilities to help them perform the tasks of daily living. A personal assistant might help an individual get from their wheelchair into bed, take a bath, get dressed or prepare a meal. Personal assistants also help with shopping or bill paying.
Today, many people with disabilities are living in their own home, not nursing homes, thanks to a West Virginia hero, Ron Yost.
Learn more
To learn more about the Ron Yost Personal Assistance Services Program (RYPAS), visit the RYPAS service description page on this Web site.
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