Washington, Jan. 29 – 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. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the first Republican to respond.…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 24 – Presidential hopeful Rand Paul’s plan for saving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is to ensure only people who are “truly disabled” receive the benefit. “If you are truly disabled and you are on some kind of government assistance program, there’s more money for you…
Washington, Jan. 23 – In two separate town halls last week, Gov. Chris Christie addressed several issues of importance for the disability community, including drug addiction and incarceration, accessibility at the upcoming caucuses and employment opportunities for people with disabilities, specifically autism. When Christie was asked about the high amount…
Forest City, Iowa, Jan. 16 – People with disabilities (PwDs) are twice as likely to be victims of violent crimes as compared to the general population. When asked about how he would deal with this issue, presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson talked about America losing its faith and values and…
Urbandale, Iowa, Jan. 15 – When a grieving father with a son who died of a heroin overdose asked Donald Trump how he’ll address this epidemic, the presidential hopeful said he’s going to stop the drug traffic from coming in through Mexico. “We’re going to build a wall,” he said…
Washington, Jan. 14 – Ahead of tonight’s Republican debate, the disability community is finally being heard and paid attention to by the presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle. In a new ad released today, Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush highlights his fight for the rights of people with…
Washington, Jan. 14 – Eight RespectAbility Report employees and fellows have been crisscrossing New Hampshire and Iowa for the past month, asking candidates to talk about a variety of disability issues – from low employment rates and high crime rates to basic accessibility issues. When James Trout, a fellow with…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 14 – Presidential candidate Jeb Bush is working on a plan to help the 70 percent of people with disabilities who are not employed obtain jobs. “We are working on a strategy to eliminate the barriers to work,” the former governor of Florida said Tuesday at…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 11 – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he’ll be working on a plan to provide more opportunities for autistic adults to work. Jane, a self-described autistic woman, asked Trump for a plan to help “autistic adults like myself get employed.” “We’re going to work on…
Washington, Jan. 10 – Recently, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined former Gov. Mike Huckabee in making medical science a top priority. Clinton announced that she wants to invest $2 billion a year in funding for Alzheimer’s disease research. In the announcement, Clinton focused on the massive human cost…
Washington, Jan. 10 – Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum took a break from the campaign trail last week to visit the home of Ryan and Katie Buck in Cumming, Iowa. According to the Des Moines Register, the family’s newborn son Alex was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder that…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 10 – Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio called for high-risk pools at the state level for people with preexisting conditions. “For someone with a disability or a preexisting condition or a chronic illness that makes it difficult to ensure, that’s where I think government can…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 10 – Dr. Ben Carson has previously called for privately funded organizations, not the government, to help people with disabilities gain employment. This past Wednesday in Panora, Iowa, the presidential hopeful reiterated the need for work, stating “too many people have an incentive not to work, when low wage…
Newton, Iowa, Jan. 3 – Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee says just because a person has a disability, it does not mean he has a disability to serve. More than just talk, he walked the walk by hiring people with disabilities while governor of Arkansas. “I hired a number of people in…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 2 – People with disabilities are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime than people without disabilities, while people with disabilities between 12-15 and 35-49 are three times more likely to be victims of violent crimes. None of the presidential candidates has a plan…
Littleton, NH, Dec. 29 – Sen. Marco Rubio said he would use “the platform of the presidency” to talk about disabilities in order to reduce stigma around mental illness and other disabilities. “There’s a real stigma about mental illness in America,” the presidential hopeful said in Littleton, N.H., last week.…
Manchester, NH, Dec. 28 – Sen. Rand Paul stresses the importance of providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities, according to campaign surrogate Rep. Victoria Sullivan. Sullivan, who was attending a briefing organized by RespectAbility on the disability vote on behalf of the Paul campaign last week, said Pauls’ plan…
Pelham, NH, Dec. 28 – “We want to use the government involvement to encourage employers to put work first, above any other options,” Gov. Chris Christie said following a town hall at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building in Pelham, N.H. last week. During his speech, the presidential hopeful said…
Rochester, NH, Dec. 23 – Sen. Marco Rubio stressed the importance of early intervention and education when asked on Monday how he would help people with disabilities achieve employment success and the American Dream by RespectAbility Fellow James Trout, who has Asperger’s syndrome. “You get those first few years –…
Concord, NH, Dec. 23 – Ohio Gov. John Kasich called for full integration of people with disabilities during a town hall in Concord, NH, on Monday evening. “The answer is real simple,” Kasich said when asked how people with disabilities can get out of the shadows and live the American Dream.…
