Carson City, Nevada, Oct. 25 – With 58 percent of Nevada’s 198,826 working-age people with disabilities out of work, incumbent U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and Democratic U.S. Sen. nominee Jacky Rosen, as well as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak, all have responded to a questionnaire by the disabilities advocacy group RespectAbility, outlining their views on training and hiring people with disabilities.
In his responses to 10 questions submitted by the organization, Sisolak discussed the importance of addressing the stigma faced by persons with disabilities and its effect on their employment prospects.
“Combating these unfair stigmas starts with focusing on the abilities of disabled Nevadans — not their limitations,” Sisolak said. “This is especially true in the workforce, where companies too often think that people with disabilities cannot perform their duties. As governor, I will use the power of my office to draw attention to the critical need for inclusive employment. Apprenticeship programs also help combat the stigma faced by people with disabilities as employers can see, firsthand, how much our disabled citizens have to offer in the workplace.”
For his part, Sen. Heller noted that his wife is a teacher and that their four children attended public schools in Nevada in discussing the importance of inclusion for students with disabilities.
“All Nevada students should be given the tools to succeed so they can be more prepared for the future – whether that is the workforce or higher education,” Heller said. “I recognize the importance of ensuring students with disabilities receive the support they need.”
His Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen, addressed the importance of both educational and apprenticeship opportunities as part of youth employment strategies.
“Access to on the job training is critical towards personal and professional development and I completely support apprenticeships for youth with disabilities,” Rosen said. “We must do more to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to the schooling, training and resources they need to be successful and that they have equal access to all opportunities.”
“Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life,” Mizrahi asserted. “People with disabilities deserve equal opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence just like anyone else.”
RespectAbility also reached out repeatedly to Sisolak’s Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt, but received no response to the questionnaire, according to the organization’s President, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi.
The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and the candidates’ replies are available on The RespectAbility Report:
- Dean Heller: therespectabilityreport.org/2018/10/17/dean-heller
- Jacky Rosen: therespectabilityreport.org/2018/10/08/jacky-rosen
- Steve Sisolak: therespectabilityreport.org/2018/10/04/steve-sisolak-nevada
RespectAbility is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that fights stigmas and advances opportunities for people with disabilities. RespectAbility does not rate or endorse candidates. You can see more candidate responses at http://therespectabilityreport.org/category/pwdsvote-2018-questionnaire/. To learn more about the organization, visit our website at www.respectability.org.
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