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…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 14 – I’m James Trout, one of The RespectAbility Report’s newest reporters. I’m covering the presidential candidates and what they say and do on disability issues. It’s literally five degrees in Iowa, and yet I’m having the time of my life! Each day I get to speak…
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…
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 6 – Secretary Hillary Clinton released the details of her new Autism plan with four main areas: early screening outreach; proper health insurance coverage; transition into adulthood with a focus on employment; and a first-ever national adult autism prevalence study. The greater attention to both research…
Hillary Clinton announces Autism plan, following statements by more than a dozen other candidates on disability issues Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 5 – While campaigning in Iowa, Secretary Hillary Clinton became the first candidate to announce an Autism plan following a week of talking about related issues including mental health…
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, 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…
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…
Washington, Dec. 31 – Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton announced she will be unveiling an autism plan, making her the first candidate to do so. “I’m actually rolling out a plan about autism in about a week, where I talk about all the different things that we need to do to…
Washington, Dec. 30 – I’m Justin Chappell, one of The RespectAbility Report’s newest reporters. I also have Spina bifida, and, as a result, use a wheelchair. But this does not limit me. There are negative stigmas out there that discriminate against people with disabilities. But these stigmas are inaccurate and I…
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…
Manchester, NH, Dec. 28 – At a briefing organized by RespectAbility last week on the disability vote, several campaigns sent their New Hampshire state directors and other representatives. Gov. Martin O’Malley sent two individuals – his N.H. State Director John Bivona and his son William, who was in town for…
