Concord, N.H., Feb. 10 – During last night’s victory speech celebrating his win of the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders excited the disability community when he included a shout out for disability rights. “We must pursue the fight for women’s rights, for gay rights, for disability rights,” Sanders said…
Concord, New Hampshire, Feb. 8 – RespectAbility released its New Hampshire update to its first #PwDsVote 2016 Campaign Questionnaire for people with disabilities (PwDs). For the New Hampshire release, more than half of the presidential candidates from both sides of the aisle have responded to the questionnaire. RespectAbility is nonpartisan and…
Washington, Jan. 30 – RespectAbility has released its first #PwDsVote 2016 Campaign Questionnaire for people with disabilities (PwDs). “Fully one-out-of-five voters have a disability, and 52 percent of likely voters have a loved one with a disability. There are 56 million Americans with disabilities, and we have the ability to…
Washington, Jan. 27 – Many minority groups were highlighted at this week’s Democratic Town Hall, with questions ranging from racial inequality to LGBT rights. However, the largest minority group – the 56 million people with disabilities – was not. Even though there were no direct questions, all three candidates brought…
Washington, Jan. 25 – RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, has asked all of the presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle to fill out a questionnaire on disability issues. While many campaigns responded positively that they are working on…
Washington, Jan. 19 – Racial profiling. Unjust police killings. Black lives matter. All important topics to be discussed during a presidential debate. Lacking during Sunday night’s NBC Democratic debate – questions about America’s largest minority group – people with disabilities (PwDs). When moderator Lester Holt asked Secretary Hillary Clinton about…
Washington, Jan. 18 – Drug addiction took a spotlight once again at last night’s Democratic presidential debate. “We have to move away from treating the use of drugs as a crime and instead, move it to where it belongs, as a health issue,” Secretary Hillary Clinton said in response to…
Des Moines, Jan. 3 – Sen. Bernie Sanders called for an end to all forms of discrimination including against people who may have a disability. “Either we’re going to end bigotry and discrimination or we’re not,” he said during a town hall in Knoxville, IA, on Dec. 31. “I believe we…
Manchester, NH, Dec. 20 – The third Democratic presidential debate touched on a topic often overlooked among the myriad of issues candidates face at debates – drug addiction, in particular the growing heroin epidemic in New Hampshire and across the country. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called the epidemic a “tragedy…
Des Moines, Nov. 17 – At a roundtable with family caregivers and medical experts, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders listened to Iowans talk about how both retirees needing additional help and working age people with disabilities who choose to work may lose coverage for personal care attendants under Medicaid and Medicare –…
Des Moines, Nov. 15 – The second Democratic presidential debate began with a focus on American foreign policy and military involvement in the Middle East. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders interrupted the conversation, pivoting to veterans’ affairs – causing criticism to grow that he lacks the international affairs experience needed to be presidient. Yet,…
Des Moines, Nov. 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign is focusing on caregivers and assistance for people with disabilities this month, according to Bruce Koeppl, a senior advisor for the campaign who is based in Iowa. “That’s what you can look for this weekend as we begin to unroll some additional…
Washington, Oct. 29 – Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is the first presidential candidate to call for removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act – a list of the most dangerous drugs outlawed by the federal government. This would allow states to legalize recreational marijuana. Possibly even more importantly, this also would mean medical…
Las Vegas, Oct. 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders Campaign Manager Jeff Weaver called his candidate strong for people with disabilities. “Sen. Sanders has a strong record supporting people with disabilities and helping people with disabilities participate to the maximum extent possible in many streams of society,” Weaver said in an…
Washington, Sept. 13 – Hillary Clinton is the first Democratic candidate to include a page on her website dedicated to people with disabilities. Highlighting disability rights as one of the campaign’s issues, the site says, “We must continue to expand opportunities for all Americans.” Making websites accessible for all people is…
Washington, Sept. 10 – Social media is not a new tool for grassroots activists to galvanize supporters for their desired candidate. Three Facebook pages – two for Hillary Clinton and one for Bernie Sanders – highlight the presidential hopefuls’ stances on a variety of disability issues. There are two competing…
Washington, July 29 – “In the year 2015, it is unacceptable that over 80 percent of adults with disabilities are unemployed,” Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said to the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) during its rally on Capitol Hill Tuesday. “People need work. They need…
Washington, July 8 – Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont believes there is a need for a full employment plan for everybody, including those with disabilities, but has not yet laid out a plan about how to increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities in America. Taking questions after a…
Davenport, Iowa, June 23 – While disability issues are not yet hot-button topics in the presidential campaign, they are becoming more prominent. When The RespectAbility Report’s Liz Seffrin asked Sen. Bernie Sanders about a specific plan to increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities in America, he promised to…
