By Lauren Appelbaum and Hon. Steve Bartlett Washington, D.C., May 9 – For a presidential campaign to be fully inclusive of people with disabilities, it needs to meet the following requirements: (1) offer captioning with every video it shares or produces, (2) mention people with disabilities and their issues, (3) depict…
Washington, D.C., Nov. 6 – Below you will find two up-to-the-minute resources to help you this election: Straight Q&A’s with candidates on disability issues organized by state. If you do not see a candidate from a senate or gubernatorial race, or local candidates in New York City and Los Angeles,…
Washington, D.C., Nov. 4 – As voters head to the polls, many are concerned about various access issues from physical accessibility to voter ID laws. This is a federal election year; additionally, many state legislative seats, state executive offices, local offices and ballot amendments will be voted on. We’ve compiled…
Washington, Sept. 26 – RespectAbility is honored to participate in the sixth annual National Voter Registration Day (NVRD), a nonpartisan effort to encourage people to register to vote and make their voices heard in our nation’s political process. Today, organizations nationwide will register thousands of new voters.
However, if you read the news today, many people might feel discouraged, disconnected or unconvinced that their voices matter. Last year, it was clear that getting the vote out mattered with the high stakes of a presidential race and key Senate contests across the country. What about this year? Why should people get out, get registered and get out the voter in a quiet year like 2017? The reason is simple.
As the former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Tip O’Neill famously said, “All politics is local.” Did you know that 59 of the 100 largest cities in America are holding elections this year? Did you know there are 36 mayoral races and more than 360 city council races in 2017 alone? In communities across the country, local, municipal and state elections are taking place this year.
Washington, Oct. 5 – During this presidential campaign, the disability community has seen its issues discussed like never before – in policy proposals, party platforms, conventions and in the media.
But we haven’t yet witnessed presidential candidates answering a debate question about disability rights. People with disabilities – and those who care about them – can make a huge difference in changing that.
The “town hall” debate on Sunday, Oct. 9, will feature questions from the Internet. ABC and CNN moderators agreed to consider the top 30 questions voted up on the Open Debate Coalition site.
This gives us an incredible opportunity to demonstrate the size and strength of our whole community by voting in support of a disability debate question.
The question, “How would you value disability rights in your presidency?” is currently in the top 80 out of almost 10,000 questions that have been submitted!
If you want a question on disability rights to be asked during the next presidential debate, VOTE on this question for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to answer. Also, please share it widely with your networks.
Washington, Sept. 30 – With just 38 days until Election Day, RespectAbility is calling on all candidates for governor or Senate to complete the #PwDsVote Senate & Gubernatorial Disability Questionnaire. “PwDs” stands for “people with disabilities.” So far, Hillary Clinton and 30 candidates for Senate or Governor from both parties have done so. Now we’re calling on you to help to encourage the remainder. A number of candidates, including Donald Trump, have yet to fill out a nonpartisan candidate questionnaire on issues vital to America’s 56 million citizens with disabilities!
The down-ballot responses received so far are from candidates on both sides of the aisle – with 18 from Democrats and 12 from Republicans, demonstrating how disability rights is a nonpartisan issue. The responses also are geographically-diverse, coming from states all around the country.
Call and tweet candidates and demand that they respond to the questionnaire. Tell them why it’s important to you!
This is the first time down-ballot candidates have been asked to complete a questionnaire about disability-related issues on such a wide scale. The answers to these questionnaires are being posted on The RespectAbility Report and will be used for individualized state voter guides.
Washington, Sept. 7 – With just 61 days until Election Day, RespectAbility is calling on all candidates for governor or Senate to complete the #PwDsVote Senate & Gubernatorial Disability Questionnaire.“PwDs” stands for “people with disabilities.” So far, Hillary Clinton and 15 candidates for Senate or Governor from both parties have done so. Now we’re calling on you to help to encourage the remainder. A number of candidates, including Donald Trump, have yet to fill out a nonpartisan candidate questionnaire on issues vital to America’s 56 million citizens with disabilities!
Call and tweet candidates and demand that they respond to the questionnaire. Tell them why it’s important to you!
This is the first time down-ballot candidates have been asked to complete a questionnaire about disability-related issues on such a wide scale. Why are we focusing on candidates for governor and U.S. Senate? The reason is simple. We hope that voters who care about disability issues will have the opportunity to compare how the candidates responded to the same questions in their own words.
The questionnaire itself has been written in a way that is acceptable for 501c3 nonprofits, is nonpartisan and is not electioneering. RespectAbility is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes.
Washington, Aug. 29 – We’re calling all disability activists to join us in engaging candidates in open and competitive senate and gubernatorial races to complete the #PwDsVote Senate & Gubernatorial Disability Questionnaire!
Questions Focus on Issues Relating to Employment and Stigma
Washington, Aug. 7 – Last winter, RespectAbility sent the #PwDsVote Presidential Campaign Questionnaire to all of the presidential candidates. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton responded in full. While several Republican primary candidates did, Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign has yet to return any answers to the questionnaire.
Now RespectAbility has adapted the questionnaire for down-ballot races, focusing on open and competitive senate and gubernatorial races. This gives the disability community an opportunity to make a difference by contacting these candidates and urging them to complete the questionnaire. RespectAbility has provided the candidates’ email addresses and Twitter handles for people to do so. They are below.
Washington, Dec. 10 – As The RespectAbility Report continues to track all of the presidential candidates’ statements on disability issues, we are asking for our readers’ help. Since our staff is small, we need you to ask the candidates to talk about these important issues that are often not discussed by…
Washington, Nov. 11 – As the nation celebrates Veterans Day, it is important to truly remember our veterans and ensure we are taking care of their needs. One of their top priorities is employment. Government policies that help veterans with disabilities get and keep jobs are a win-win because they…
Washington, Oct. 30 – As The RespectAbility Report continues to track all of the presidential candidates’ statements on disability issues, we are asking for our readers’ help. Since our staff is small, we need you to ask the candidates to talk about these important issues that are often not discussed by…
Las Vegas, Oct. 13 – Tonight the Democratic candidates for president will debate each other for the first time this season. While many minority groups are sure to be discussed, America’s largest minority group, people with disabilies (PwDs) is an important group to pay attention to. America has 56 million…
Washington, August 25 – As The RespectAbility Report continues to track all of the presidential candidates’ statements on disability issues, we are asking for our readers’ help. Since our staff is small, we need you to ask the candidates to talk about these important issues. It’s simple. People with disabilities…
Important Dates: Elections, Debates & Expos September 10, 2015 Illinois – CD-18 Special General Election Louisiana – Filing Deadline September 16, 2015 CNN Republican Primary Debate Location: Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA Sponsors: Reagan Library Foundation, CNN, Salem Media Group Moderator(s): Jake Tapper September 18-20, 2015 Abilities Expo Location:…
Washington, July 21 – A candidate’s website should serve two purposes – to be the “brand” and welcome mat to the public and to be a tool for the voters to learn about platforms and stances on the issues. With each of these factors, it’s important to make sure the…
Washington, July 20 – One of the principal ways of ensuring your website is accessible is by adding captions to all of your videos. This is especially important for all of the presidential candidates. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 37.5 million American adults aged…
