Carson City, Nevada, Nov. 8 – Both Democrat Steve Sisolak and Jacky Rosen were elected to new positions in Nevada – Sisolak defeating Adam Laxalt for the governorship and Rosen defeating incumbent Dean Heller for U.S. Senate. While campaigning, both Rosen and Sisolak completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and…
New York City, Nov. 8 – Democrat Richard Gottfried was re-elected to the New York State Assembly District 75 with no major party opposition in the midterm elections. While campaigning, Gottfried completed a disability issues questionnaire for New York City candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national disability organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire asked candidates to answer five key questions that impact the 948,000 people with disabilities living in New York City.
While Gottfried did not answer each question, he submitted a statement in response. He highlighted his participation in the Assembly Health Committee, as well as his sponsorship of the NY Health Act, which aims to create universal, single-payer health coverage for the city of New York.
“I will be amending the bill in the 2019 legislative session to include long-term care (particularly home care),” Gottfried said in his statement.
Gottfried closed with a commitment to work with people with disabilities to meet their goals. “I believe strongly in working with groups. including people with disabilities, to learn from them what their priorities and needs are and what state policies and actions would be most effective, and then to work in whatever ways I can to help advance that agenda,” he said.
There are 455,186 working-age people with disabilities in New York City and only 150,074 have jobs. Currently, only 32.7 percent, or one third, of residents of New York City with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 64 are employed. In comparison, 58.4 percent of working-age residents of New York City without disabilities are employed.
View Gottfried’s full statement below:
New York City, Nov. 8 – Democrat Jessica Ramos won the New York State Senate District 13 seat in the midterm elections, defeating incumbent Jose Peralta. While campaigning, Ramos completed a disability issues questionnaire for New York City candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national disability organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire asked candidates to answer five key questions that impact the 948,000 people with disabilities living in New York City. Ramos’ opponent, incumbent Jose Peralta, did not respond to requests to fill out the questionnaire.
In her response, Ramos highlighted her pledge to uplift people with disabilities economically. There are 455,186 working-age people with disabilities in New York City and only 150,074 have jobs. Currently, only 32.7 percent, or one third, of residents of New York City with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 64 are employed. In comparison, 58.4 percent of working-age residents of New York City without disabilities are employed.
“In addition to my commitment to hire a diverse staff, I will work to create more opportunities for people with disabilities,” she said. “I also support A2165/S55, which increases participation of businesses owned by people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBT+ in state contracts.”
Ramos also emphasized her commitment to building up communities whose need have previously been ignored.
“We’ve already begun creating an accessible space so that the community can come together and discuss the intersections of topics such as housing, public schools, transportation, etc. and making sure that we look at these topics through a different lens (this includes through a lens of people with disabilities),” she said. “This is the first [plan], but it won’t be our last community engagement event to make sure that all people have a seat at our table.”
Poverty, especially in major metropolises like New York, disproportionately impact women and girls, especially those of color. In total, there are 251,089 working-age women with disabilities living in New York City. Out of that number, 111,236 New York women living with disabilities have an income below the poverty level in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Likewise, in the City, only 29 percent of working-age African American women with disabilities and 24 percent of working-age Latina women with disabilities have jobs.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity to succeed and I am committed to working towards a future where marginalized people, particularly women of color, get an equal chance,” Ramose said. “Not only will I provide a platform for them, I will make sure they have the tools to organize and receive the resources they need.”
View Ramos’ full response to the questionnaire below:
Carson City, Nevada, Nov. 7—Democratic U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen was elected to the Nevada seat of the U.S. Senate yesterday in the midterm elections.
While campaigning, Rosen completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire included 10 questions on topics important to people with disabilities and those close to them. Rosen’s competitor, incumbent Dean Heller, also completed the questionnaire. His responses can be viewed on the Respectability Report.
In response to the questionnaire, Rosen emphasized protecting the rights of people with disabilities in public spaces, including work spaces. “I believe the American Disabilities Act was a critical piece of legislation and we must continue to uphold it and ensure that people with disabilities always have a seat at the table and that their concerns and problems are heard and taken seriously,” she said in her response.
Rosen highlighted her record of supporting legislation that allows people with disabilities and their families to access assistive technology. She also stressed the importance of addressing workplace harassment against people with disabilities. “My bipartisan Sunlight in Workplace Harassment Act (H.R. 5028) would require publicly-traded companies to disclose payments of settlements for sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination, including that based on disability status,” Rosen said.
There are 198,826 working-age people with disabilities living in Nevada, and 83,453 people have jobs. With an unemployment rate for people with disabilities of 58 percent, Nevada ranks 13th on this list of the best states for employment for people with disabilities (42 percent).
View Rosen’s full response to the questionnaire below:
Carson City, Nevada, Nov. 7—Democrat Steve Sisolak was elected as Nevada’s next governor yesterday in the midterm elections, defeating Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.
While campaigning, Sisolak completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire included 10 questions on topics important to people with disabilities and those close to them. Adam Laxalt, the Republican candidate, did not respond to requests to complete the questionnaire.
In response to the questionnaire, Sisolak emphasized his support for programs that reduce stigma against people with disabilities and prepare them for the workforce.
“I will work with disability advocacy organizations like RespectAbility to maximize exposure to this issue in the press and bring real solutions into the office space for our disabled citizenry,” he said in his response.
Sisolak also highlighted the importance of supporting people with disabilities as they move out of school and into work spaces.
“Apprenticeships expose people with disabilities to the transition from school to work and better prepare them for the challenges that come with professional experience,” he said. “Among the best programs is Project SEARCH, which is a one-year fully integrated workplace program for people with disabilities. The goal is to secure competitive employment, and the 70 percent success rate speaks for itself.”
Sisolak said he supports more services for students with disabilities who choose to go to college, as well. “We must also improve post-secondary education opportunities by integrating career services and disability services into a hybrid program for people with disabilities on college campuses.”
There are 198,826 working-age people with disabilities living in Nevada, and 83,453 people have jobs. With an unemployment rate for people with disabilities of 58 percent, Nevada ranks 13th on this list of the best states for employment for people with disabilities (42 percent).
View Sisolak’s full response to the questionnaire below:
Boston, Massachusetts, Nov. 6 – Democrat Elizabeth Warren kept her seat as Massachusetts’ U.S. Senator when she was elected over Republican Geoff Diehl today.
Warren completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire included 10 questions on topics important to people with disabilities and those close to them. Despite repeated requests to his campaign, Diehl did not respond to the questionnaire.
In the questionnaire response, Warren focused on jobs for people with disabilities that provide fair wages—an important topic, since 61.4 percent of the 390,729 working-age people with disabilities in Massachusetts are out of work. Massachusetts is 24th on this list ranking states from best to worst on employment for people with disabilities.
“First off, individuals with disabilities should have the opportunity to reach their full potential in competitive and integrated employment settings, and they should receive fair wages for their work,” Warren said in her response. “For these reasons, I have worked to end the subminimum wage, which makes it perfectly legal for an employer to pay a worker with a disability less than a worker without a disability for doing the same job.”
Warren also highlighted the importance of education for people with disabilities. She has introduced legislation for both trade programs and post-secondary education that benefits people with disabilities.
“I introduced and passed the Free Career and Technical Education for High School Students Act in order to direct federal funding streams toward reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket costs associated with Career and Technical Education programs for high school students, including students with disabilities,” Warren said. “If classes that prepare high school students for college are free, then career training classes that prepare students to enter the workforce should also be free.”
Accessibility can be a hurdle for college students with disabilities. Warren addressed this with her AIM HIGH Act, which created “guidelines for accessible instructional materials on college campuses.”
“I recognize that many students face special obstacles to their education, and I will always stand up for programs that help to level the playing field,” Warren said.
View Warren’s full response to the questionnaire below:
