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. 17 – Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton pledged to be a strong voice for people with disabilities. “This has been a strong concern and priority of mine,” Clinton said in an exclusive interview with The RespectAbility Report immediately following the Democratic presidential debate in Iowa Saturday night. The former Secretary…
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. 15 – Maryland increased its effectiveness of its workforce training programs, presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley said of his time as Maryland’s governor. “I learned as governor the very disparate way, that people with disabilities are kept out of our workforce, and so as governor we actually increased…
Des Moines, Nov. 14 – I’m Justin Chappell, The RespectAbility Report’s newest reporter. I’m covering the CBS Democratic debate this evening along with hundreds of other journalists from around the country. To my knowledge, I’m the only reporter here who uses a wheelchair – and glad to be keeping with…
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…
Des Moines, Nov. 14 – While presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton had a shaky start with outreach to the disability community, recently she has talked about issues such as autism and treatments for mental illness. In addition, her campaign website has a page dedicated to disability issues and campaign staffers are beginning…
Des Moines, Nov. 14 – Ahead of tonight’s Democratic debate, all of the Democratic campaigns in addition to two Republican campaigns met with twenty disability leaders in Iowa yesterday. Ben Chou, Martin O’Malley’s Constituency Outreach Director in Iowa, said the former governor is a champion for dignity for all people. “Dignity…
Washington, Nov. 9 – Hillary Clinton announced support for medical research of marijuana. She is the latest of the three Democratic presidential hopefuls to do so. While Clinton had previously declined to endorse legalized medical or recreational marijuana at the federal level, on Saturday she detailed a proposal to increase research…
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…
Boulder, Oct. 28 – While the night’s spotlight was shining on the CNBC Republican Primary Debate, Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley walked along the paths of the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. In a conversation with The RespectAbility Report, the former governor of Maryland said, “people with disabilities labor under a disproportionally high…
Washington, Oct. 27 – Sec. Hillary Clinton pledged to help people with mental health problems get assistance, not jail time, when asked by a young boy named Chris of the National Action Network (NAN) Youth Huddle. “Can you fix the prison problems?” Chris, who is in a program for youth interested…
Washington, Oct. 26 – The last time all of the democratic candidates addressed a dinner in Iowa, none of them talked about rights for people with disabilities. Three months later, and the tide has turned. “While we fight for a growth and fairness economy that works for everyone, we can’t forget…
Las Vegas, Oct. 16 – At this week’s Democratic primary presidential debate, the Webb campaign invited several people with disabilities to attend as their guests. According to the campaign, they wanted to offer the tickets to people who would normally not have the opportunity to attend such an event. “I…
Las Vegas, Oct. 14 – Following the Democratic primary debate, Hillary Clinton greeted supporters at a watch party held at the Wynn Casino and Hotel. Also present – an ASL interpreter. “So I requested, to provide an interpreter,” Sean Mohan, founder of the Clark County Deaf Democratic Caucus (CCDDC), said. “Of…
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…
Las Vegas, Oct. 14 – This year our nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. This landmark legislation has opened opportunities for all individuals to more openly participate in society, including access to employment. There is one population, however, that continues to remain unemployed and underemployed at…
Las Vegas, Oct. 14 – Job training and placements will help more people with disabilities gain successful employment, Gov. Martin O’Malley told The RespectAbility Report following the Democratic primary debate. “When I was governor of Maryland, we saw the appalling level of unemployment among our neighbors and people with disabilities,”…
Las Vegas, Oct. 14 – Gov. Lincoln Chafee is proud of his time working to help people with disabilities while serving as governor of Rhode Island. “As governor, I came in at the depths of the recession and we turned my state around,” Chafee said during the opening statements of the…
