Washington, D.C., March 27 – While nationally 111,804 jobs were gained by people with disabilities, 1,014 Massachusetts residents with disabilities exited the workforce last year. Said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of RespectAbility, “After strong job growth for people with disabilities in the state, this is a very troubling development. People…
Washington, D.C., March 1 – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee entered the crowded 2020 presidential race Friday, becoming the first sitting governor to do so. While he is making climate change a leading issue for his presidential bid, he has made disability employment a priority during his governorship. Gov. Inslee announced…
Carson City, Nevada, Nov. 7—Democratic U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen was elected to the Nevada seat of the U.S. Senate yesterday in the midterm elections.
While campaigning, Rosen completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire included 10 questions on topics important to people with disabilities and those close to them. Rosen’s competitor, incumbent Dean Heller, also completed the questionnaire. His responses can be viewed on the Respectability Report.
In response to the questionnaire, Rosen emphasized protecting the rights of people with disabilities in public spaces, including work spaces. “I believe the American Disabilities Act was a critical piece of legislation and we must continue to uphold it and ensure that people with disabilities always have a seat at the table and that their concerns and problems are heard and taken seriously,” she said in her response.
Rosen highlighted her record of supporting legislation that allows people with disabilities and their families to access assistive technology. She also stressed the importance of addressing workplace harassment against people with disabilities. “My bipartisan Sunlight in Workplace Harassment Act (H.R. 5028) would require publicly-traded companies to disclose payments of settlements for sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination, including that based on disability status,” Rosen said.
There are 198,826 working-age people with disabilities living in Nevada, and 83,453 people have jobs. With an unemployment rate for people with disabilities of 58 percent, Nevada ranks 13th on this list of the best states for employment for people with disabilities (42 percent).
View Rosen’s full response to the questionnaire below:
Honolulu, Hawaii, Nov. 7 – Democrat David Ige has won a second term as Hawaii’s Governor after beating Andria Tupola in this year’s election.
Ige responded earlier during the campaign season to a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. Andria Tupola, Ige’s opponent, also responded to the questionnaire. It can be found at The RespectAbility Report.
In his responses, Ige highlighted his efforts as governor to provide Hawaii residents with disabilities with better employment opportunities and inclusion in the workplace. “We see employment of people with disabilities as a civil rights issue, and closing the employment gap is a key strategy that will benefit the entire community. Members of my administration are working to establish Hawaii as an Employment First state, and I am steadfastly committed to making this happen.”
More than 156,000 people with disabilities live in Hawaii. This number includes 66,031 who are working age (18 to 64). Of that population, an estimated 39.9 percent are employed, leaving 60.1 percent out of work. In comparison, 78.6 percent of working-age Hawaiians without disabilities are employed. Hawaii ranks 18th in terms of employment rate for people with disabilities in the U.S.
Ige also touched on education within his responses specifically on aiding high school students with disabilities on their way to employment or secondary education. “A core initiative is the Jobs Now Partnership (JNP) facilitated by the University of Hawaii Center on Disabilities Studies (CDS), which is working with local high schools to support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their pathway to employment. This pilot demonstration is a partnership with five agencies and will assist high school sophomores to seniors develop and achieve individual employment outcomes.”
Ige also issued a proclamation for Hawaii naming October 2018 as Disability Employment Awareness Month. “People with disabilities are productive and loyal, and deserve the same opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence like anyone else,” writes Gov. Ige in the proclamation. “The State of Hawai’i has a vested interest in increasing the inclusion of people living with a disability by providing access, meaningful services, and improved outcomes for all citizens at the state, county, local, and private sector levels.”
According to a recent survey, 74 percent of likely voters have a disability themselves or have a family member or a close friend with disabilities. The upcoming elections and their results will have an impact on people with disabilities, so it is important to become familiar with the candidates’ thoughts on certain issues.
“Candidates for office ignore the disability community at their peril,” said former U.S. Representative and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett. Bartlett, who was a primary author of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, is the chairman of RespectAbility.”
Ige’s responses to the questionnaire can be found below.
Boston, Massachusetts, Nov. 6 – Democrat Elizabeth Warren kept her seat as Massachusetts’ U.S. Senator when she was elected over Republican Geoff Diehl today.
Warren completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire included 10 questions on topics important to people with disabilities and those close to them. Despite repeated requests to his campaign, Diehl did not respond to the questionnaire.
In the questionnaire response, Warren focused on jobs for people with disabilities that provide fair wages—an important topic, since 61.4 percent of the 390,729 working-age people with disabilities in Massachusetts are out of work. Massachusetts is 24th on this list ranking states from best to worst on employment for people with disabilities.
“First off, individuals with disabilities should have the opportunity to reach their full potential in competitive and integrated employment settings, and they should receive fair wages for their work,” Warren said in her response. “For these reasons, I have worked to end the subminimum wage, which makes it perfectly legal for an employer to pay a worker with a disability less than a worker without a disability for doing the same job.”
Warren also highlighted the importance of education for people with disabilities. She has introduced legislation for both trade programs and post-secondary education that benefits people with disabilities.
“I introduced and passed the Free Career and Technical Education for High School Students Act in order to direct federal funding streams toward reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket costs associated with Career and Technical Education programs for high school students, including students with disabilities,” Warren said. “If classes that prepare high school students for college are free, then career training classes that prepare students to enter the workforce should also be free.”
Accessibility can be a hurdle for college students with disabilities. Warren addressed this with her AIM HIGH Act, which created “guidelines for accessible instructional materials on college campuses.”
“I recognize that many students face special obstacles to their education, and I will always stand up for programs that help to level the playing field,” Warren said.
View Warren’s full response to the questionnaire below:
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…
Boston, Massachusetts, Oct. 25 – With 61.4 percent of Massachusetts’ 390,729 working-age people with disabilities out of work, incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, has issued an official response to a questionnaire by the disabilities advocacy group RespectAbility, outlining her views on training and hiring people with disabilities.
In responses to 10 questions submitted by the organization, Warren said that “today, it is perfectly legal for an employer to hire workers with disabilities and pay them below what they pay workers without disabilities for doing the same work.”
She added that employers who hire employees with disabilities “can even apply for permission to pay workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage. This is absolutely shameful, and I’ve called on the Department of Labor to crack down on employers that abuse that abuse this policy.”
Warren noted that “accessible public transportation also ensures that workers with disabilities can safely commute to work.”
“I helped to secure over $9 million in federal grants to make vital improvements to the dock at the Hingham Ferry Terminal in Massachusetts, bringing the dock into full ADA compliance and ensuring that it is accessible to all riders.”
“Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life,” said RespectAbility’s President, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi. “People with disabilities deserve equal opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence just like anyone else.”
RespectAbility also reached out repeatedly to Warren’s opponent, Republican Geoff Diehl, but received no response to the questionnaire from him, according to Mizrahi.
The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Sen. Warren’s responses follows:
Washington, D.C., Oct. 17 – Responding today to a questionnaire by the disability advocacy group RespectAbility, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren outlined her views on training and hiring the 371,800 working-age people with disabilities in Massachusetts, who have an unemployment rate of 61.1 percent. According to a recent survey, 74 percent of likely voters have…
Washington, D.C., Oct. 17 – Responding today to a questionnaire by the disability advocacy group RespectAbility, Hawaii’s Democratic Gov. David Ige outlined his views on training and hiring the 65,700 working-age people with disabilities in Hawaii, who have an unemployment rate of 59.5 percent. According to a recent survey, 74 percent of likely voters…
Washington, D.C., Oct. 8 – RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities, has asked gubernatorial candidates on all sides of the aisle to fill out a questionnaire on disability issues. Jacky Rosen is the current U.S. Representative for Nevada’s third district. She has served as representative…
Washington, D.C., Oct. 6 – RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities, has asked candidates for U.S. Senate on all sides of the aisle to fill out a questionnaire on disability issues. RespectAbility is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes.
This is important for Maine’s 206,00 citizens with disabilities. Only 32.6 percent of the 106,00 working-age people with disabilities in Maine are employed. Further, there are more than 22,000 youth with disabilities and each year a quarter of them will age out of school into an uncertain future.
According to a recent survey, 74 percent of likely voters have a disability themselves or have a family member or a close friend with disabilities. The upcoming elections and their results will have an impact on people with disabilities, so it is important to become familiar with the candidates’ thoughts on certain issues.
“Candidates for office ignore the disability community at their peril,” said former U.S. Representative and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett. Bartlett, who was a primary author of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, is the chairman of RespectAbility.
While incumbent Sen. Angus King, an Independent running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in Maine, did not answer RespectAbility’s questionnaire, he shared responses to a different questionnaire he completed on disability inclusion. We are presenting those answers below.
RespectAbility also sent our questionnaire to the campaigns of Republican State Senator Eric Brakery and Democrat Zak Ringelstein.
Senator Angus S. King Jr’s responses to another disability questionnaire are below.
Washington, Nov 11 – Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin, a Democratic member of congress for more than 20 years, won the re-election for Rhode Island’s 2nd congressional district, holding off Republican Rhue Reis. Langevin completed the #PwDsVote Disability Questionnaire for the presidential, senate and gubernatorial candidates, that was written by RespectAbility,…
Washington, Nov. 9 – Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott beat out Democrat candidate Sue Minter for Vermont’s open governorship. Scott completed the #PwDsVote Disability Questionnaire for presidential, senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. Minter also responded…
Washington, Nov. 8 – In Illinois, Democrat Rep. Tammy Duckworth successfully unseated Republican incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk for the U.S. Senate seat. Duckworth is a military veteran who lost both of her legs in Iraq after the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade…
Washington, Nov. 8 – In Maryland, Rep. Chris Van Hollen won the race to become the state’s next U.S. Senator, defeating Republican Kathy Szeliga. Van Hollen completed the #PwDsVote Disability Questionnaire for presidential, senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to end stigmas and…
Washington, Nov. 8 – Democratic Rep. John Carney has defeated Republican state Sen. Colin Bonini for the open gubernatorial race in Delaware. He completed the #PwDsVote Disability Questionnaire for presidential, senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with…
Washington, Nov. 8 – Below you will find four up-to-the-minute resources to help you this election: State-by-state voter guides on what specifically candidates for president, governor and senate are saying on disability issues. Guides broken down by issue from candidates across the county. Straight Q&A’s with candidates on disability issues…
Washington, Nov. 7 – As voters get ready to head to the polls tomorrow, many are concerned about various access issues from physical accessibility to voter ID laws. We’ve compiled resources provided by general Election Day voter rights organizations as well as those provided by various disability groups. See below for…
Washington, Nov. 4 – A new poll shows that voters are more likely to support candidates who prioritize education, employment and disability policies. So while it’s easy to get stuck in the horse race, readers and viewers are looking for coverage about these important issues. That’s even more true for the 56 million people with disabilities (one in five Americans), more than 35 million of whom are eligible voters (one-sixth of the electorate).
So RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities founded in 2013, asked candidates for president, governor and U.S. Senate 17 questions ranging from topics of employment and housing to education, healthcare and more. Thirty-nine down ballot candidates, including 26 for Senate and 11 for governor, from both sides of the aisle (24 Democrats, 14 Republicans, 1 Green Party) have responded so far, showing that disability rights is a nonpartisan issue. An additional nine candidates responded that they are not completing any questionnaires during this campaign season. The responses also are geographically diverse, coming from states all around the country as politicians are paying more and more attention to the disability community. This is the first time down-ballot candidates have been asked to complete a questionnaire about disability-related issues on such a wide scale.
RespectAbility fellows, young individuals with disabilities, compiled the responses and packaged stories by topic. Check them out for great policy answers from a wide variety of candidates:
Utilizing candidate responses to both the down ballot and presidential campaign questionnaires, RespectAbility has released 51 state voter guides.
Key Senate race outcomes could be changed by outreach to the disability community, including the races in Maryland, North Carolina and Wisconsin, where at least one candidate in the race has enacted legislation that has impacted people with disabilities.
Since disability does not discriminate, voters with disabilities are every race, age, ethnic group, religion and gender. As the presidential election has become polarized around racial and ethnic lines, disability issues can create the difference between winning and losing.
View your state’s voter guide below:
Washington, Nov. 3 – While people began thinking differently about design and accessibility following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, many people with disabilities are unable to find accessible and affordable housing still today.
Therefore, as part of the #PwDsVote Disability Questionnaire, the nonpartisan, nonprofit disability organization RespectAbility asked candidates running for president, senate or governor about their plans to address this issue. Every candidate was given an equal opportunity to respond and if they are not listed, it is because they declined to answer.
The escalating cost of housing affects all demographics, hitting particularly hard among those with disabilities. A report by Disability Statistics revealed a stark reality: in 2014, 28.1 percent of disabled individuals aged 21-64 lived below the poverty line, leading to 41 percent being unable to afford suitable housing. The hurdles extend to the labor market, where finding well-paying jobs is a significant challenge. This economic strain means that for many, the dream of living in a pent house is worlds away. Instead, they face the reality of not being able to afford even an accessible housing unit. Simple interventions, such as government-funded support for stairlift installations, could dramatically enhance the living standards for many people with disabilities, making the concept of a ‘home’ more attainable and inclusive.
35.1 million housing complexes have one or more people living with a disability in them, each with unique needs. A wheelchair user, for example, needs to not only be able to enter a building with a ramp and have an elevator available to use if not on the ground floor but also needs wide enough hallways and accessible bathrooms. Furthermore, the housing itself needs to be in a location where it can be easily accessible to employment opportunities, as transportation is not always accessible either. To make informed decisions in the real estate market, it’s essential to find out the difference between a straight loan vs amortized loan.
The quotes in this article are the candidates’ answers to question 14 of the gubernatorial/senate questionnaire: “Do you have a plan for accessible, affordable, integrated housing to allow people with disabilities to live in the communities where they work or are seeking work?” This was adapted from a similar question, number 13, in the presidential questionnaire.
Both Democrats and Republicans recognize that people with disabilities should be able to afford accessible housing in their communities near local employment opportunities. For those people with disabilities who are contemplating a move, it’s advisable to enlist the services of professional moving companies to facilitate a seamless transition.
“It is essential to enable people with disabilities to live in the communities where they work,” responded Democrat Gov. Maggie Hassan, who is running for the senate seat representing New Hampshire. “In the Senate I am committed to ensuring accessible, affordable, integrated housing for those who need it.”
Her opponent, Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte, called for tax credits.
“I support expanding the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program to help create or preserve approximately 1.3 million affordable homes over a 10-year period—an increase of 400,000 more units than is possible under the current program,” she responded. “I also support the HOME Investment Partnerships program, which provides federal block grants to states and localities to meet their diverse affordable housing needs.”
Check out all of the candidates’ full responses below:
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