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Author: Stephanie Santo

Voter Guide for 908,500 New Jerseyans with DisabilitiesState flag of New Jersey

Voter Guide for 908,500 New Jerseyans with Disabilities

Published by Stephanie Santo on October 27, 2021

Trenton, NJ, October 27 – In the run up to the 2021 gubernatorial election in New Jersey, the nonpartisan disability rights nonprofit RespectAbility has released its latest New Jersey State Voter Guide. According to the 2020 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, the total number of New Jerseyans with disabilities is 908,500, making up 10.4 percent of the total state population.

2019 employment data shows that there are 411,051 working-age people with disabilities in New Jersey. In the economic expansion before the COVID-19 pandemic, 163,968 (or 39.8 percent) of those New Jerseyans had a job. 

The nonpartisan disability group RespectAbility has asked Democratic and Republican candidates for Governor the same seven key questions about issues affecting people with disabilities, including employment, education, criminal justice and accessibility. RespectAbility has sent multiple emails and placed many phone calls to the campaigns in order to solicit responses to the questionnaire.

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Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono Recognized for Leadership as an Immigrant and as a Person with a DisabilitySenator Mazie Hirono inside the US Capitol Building

Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono Recognized for Leadership as an Immigrant and as a Person with a Disability

Published by Stephanie Santo on May 23, 2021

Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month by recognizing the Legislative Leadership of Sen. Mazie Hirono

Washington, D.C., May 23 – U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) has been working in government since the 1980’s, striving tirelessly to make a difference and has made great advances on many fronts. She is the first Asian American woman elected to the Senate, the first woman elected to the Senate from Hawaii, and the first Buddhist senator. As of May 2017, Hirono is also a woman with a disability serving in the U.S. Senate.

During an x-ray before minor eye surgery, it was discovered that Sen. Hirono had stage 4 kidney cancer. Since then, she has had to undergo surgery to remove her right kidney and a rib, as well as extensive cancer treatment. Hirono considers herself lucky that she was able to get early intervention and that she had health insurance at the time of her diagnosis. Thus, she is a strong supporter of healthcare reform and specifically, Medicare for All. However, her support for healthcare reform started long before her diagnosis.

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Equality Act Aims to Expand Civil Rights Protections: Why This Matters to the Disability Communityan LGBTQ+ Pride flag with black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple stripes

Equality Act Aims to Expand Civil Rights Protections: Why This Matters to the Disability Community

Published by Stephanie Santo on April 12, 2021

Proposed Civil Rights Bill prohibits discrimination and advances equality for millions of Americans.

Washington, D.C., April 12– On February 25, the Equality Act was passed by the House of Representatives. The Act includes a major overhaul of civil rights protections for many Americans, including millions of people with disabilities. Now, it waits for further action by the United States Senate. 

The Equality Act specifically identifies sex, gender and sexual orientation as prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. As a result, discrimination in areas such as public accommodations and facilities, the criminal justice system, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and education would be prohibited on the basis of sex, gender, or sexual orientation. This would be a major change and significant expansion of civil rights. In 2020, the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County expanded employment protections against discrimination for gay and transgender people.

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Tillis, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins North Carolina Senate RaceThom Tillis walking down a hallway with a policewoman

Tillis, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins North Carolina Senate Race

Published by Stephanie Santo on November 10, 2020

Raleigh, NC, Nov. 10 – Incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis has won a hotly contested race to continue representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate, beating Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham.

Tillis completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Cunningham, in his attempt to unseat Sen. Tillis, also completed the RespectAbility questionnaire. 

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Collins, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Maine Senate RaceSenator Susan Collins smiling speaking to someone off camera with a crowd behind her

Collins, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Maine Senate Race

Published by Stephanie Santo on November 4, 2020

Portland, Maine, Nov. 4 – Incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins has won a hotly contested race to continue representing Maine in the U.S. Senate, beating Democratic challenger and Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Sara Gideon.  

Sen. Collins completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Gideon, in her attempt to unseat Sen. Collins, also completed the RespectAbility questionnaire. 

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Cooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as North Carolina GovernorRoy Cooper stands behind a podium

Cooper, Supporter of People with Disabilities, Wins Second Term as North Carolina Governor

Published by Stephanie Santo on November 3, 2020

Raleigh, North Carolina, Nov. 3 – Democratic incumbent Roy Cooper has won a hotly contested race for the North Carolina Governorship, beating Republican challenger Dan Forest.  

Gov. Cooper completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. Forest, despite multiple requests, did not respond to the questionnaire.

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2020 Candidates and Other Priorities for People with DisabilitiesHeadshots of 18 candidates for Governor, Senate and President who completed questionnaire. Text: 2020 Candidates Other Priorities

2020 Candidates and Other Priorities for People with Disabilities

Published by Stephanie Santo on October 16, 2020

Washington, D.C., Oct. 16 – There is no way any single candidate questionnaire can fully capture the issues impacting the approximately 61 million Americans living with some form of disability. The questions chosen by RespectAbility for the nonpartisan 2020 Disability Voter Candidate Questionnaire reflect organizational priorities around fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can participate fully in all aspects of community. In our outreach to candidates the Presidential as well as key Senate and Governor races on both sides of the aisle, RespectAbility has offered candidates the chance to offer any additional policy proposals and future priorities beyond just the scope of the questionnaire. 

Question 7 of the Questionnaire was: What additional policies and priorities, other than those already discussed above, do you plan to focus on to improve the lives of people with disabilities? 

Below, read the answers from the candidates who responded. These responses are listed alphabetically by state:

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2020 Candidates on Promoting Disability Employment OutcomesA man with a disability pushing a cart in a school. Text: 2020 Candidates on Employment. Blurred headshots of 18 2020 candidates in background

2020 Candidates on Promoting Disability Employment Outcomes

Published by Stephanie Santo on October 14, 2020

Washington, D.C., Oct. 14 – The 2020 election is an election unlike any other. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national employment rate for working-age people with disabilities in America was 37.6 percent compared to 77.8 percent for people without disabilities. Further, there continue to be significant disparities in employment outcomes within the disability community that vary from state to state. 

There are also significant racial disparities in disability employment outcomes. 38.9 percent of working-age white people with disabilities have jobs, compared to only 29.7 percent of working-age Black people with disabilities, 39.4 percent of working-age Hispanics with disabilities and 43.2 percent of working-age Asian-Americans with disabilities. The pandemic has ravaged the disability community and more than 1 million workers with disabilities have lost their jobs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a clear light on many of most important inequities that define American life. As a nonpartisan national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can participate fully in all aspects of community, RespectAbility has invited all candidates in the Presidential as well as key Senate and Governor races on both sides of the aisle to submit their answers to a 2020 Disability Voter Candidate Questionnaire.

Question 2 of the Questionnaire was: If elected, what will you do to ensure that the government is removing barriers and promoting high quality, inclusive services built on evidence-based policies, practices and procedures leading to competitive, meaningful careers, which includes promoting entrepreneurial opportunities?

Below, read the answers from the candidates who responded. These responses are listed alphabetically by state:

Continue reading2020 Candidates on Promoting Disability Employment Outcomes