Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 17 – Mayor Pete Buttigieg called for equal voting access for people with disabilities at a town hall in Des Moines earlier this week. He also said it is important to ensure funding for the equal access.
“Part of our plan on disabilities is to make sure that we’re supporting ways for people with disabilities to have equal access to the vote, because you know, that’s 1 in 4 Americans,” the presidential hopeful said in response to a question about voters with disabilities – asked by a voter on the autism spectrum. “And those who don’t face disabilities might in the future, so we all have a stake in doing something about it… And we need to put funding behind it.”
Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more
Amy Klobuchar
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 14 – Presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes. RespectAbility has reached out to all of the major presidential campaigns on both sides of the aisle and will be posting all responses on The RespectAbility Report. The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Klobuchar’s responses follows:
1. What policies and actions do you support to reduce the stigmas of people with disabilities that are barriers to employment, independence and equality?
Senator Klobuchar believes we must
do more to combat the stigma of Americans with disabilities and advance their
rights and full participation in society. As President, Senator Klobuchar will
prioritize strong enforcement of civil rights legislation, such as the
Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Olmstead decision,
the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and other
laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities. She will support full funding and staffing
for the various Offices of Civil Rights and the Department of Justice’s
Disability Rights Section offices to ensure disability cases are fully
investigated.
Senator Klobuchar is also committed
to promoting financial stability and security for people with disabilities. As
President, she will work to pass the Raise the Wage Act — which she
co-sponsors in the Senate — to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 for all
workers and guarantee that all workers are paid at least the federal minimum wage
by eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities. She is also
committed to expanding and improving employment training programs for Americans
with disabilities. She helped pass the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
in 2014, which strengthened workforce training and employment opportunities for
people with disabilities. As President, she will oppose attempts to weaken the
definition of competitive integrated employment. She will also expand the
Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, which provides
funds and administers grant programs that offer training and employment
assistance to people with disabilities.
In addition, Senator Klobuchar will expand tax credits — including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Disability Access Expenditures Tax Credit, and Architectural and Transportation Barrier Tax Credit — for employers who hire individuals with disabilities and make workplaces more accessible to those employees, and she will also support inclusion training programs for employers to address discrimination in the workplace.
In the Senate, Senator Klobuchar has championed policies to ensure that people who want to stay in their homes and communities can do so. She is a co-sponsor of the Disability Integration Act of 2019 and as President she will push to pass this legislation and address institutional bias in Medicaid to expand access to home and community-based services for people with disabilities. She will also promote remote monitoring technology and telehealth services in Medicare and other programs that improve the quality of life and expand access to quality home care and emergency hospital services in rural areas. Read more about Senator Klobuchar’s plan to protect equal rights and provide opportunity for people with disabilities here.
Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more
Pete Buttigieg
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 12 – Presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes. RespectAbility has reached out to all of the major presidential campaigns on both sides of the aisle and will be posting all responses on The RespectAbility Report. The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Buttigieg’s responses follows:
1. What policies and actions do you support to reduce the stigmas of people with disabilities that are barriers to employment, independence and equality?
As President, I
will strive to build a culture of belonging for everyone. We need both a
massive shift in federal policies and a more inclusive and welcoming society to
break down barriers to employment, dignity, independence, and inequality for
people with disabilities. I will retrofit our government so it works for, and
not against, people with disabilities. I will use the office of the
presidency—and all the levers of government available to me—to tirelessly
advocate for people with disabilities, so they no longer have to do it on their
own.
People with
disabilities should have every opportunity to live the life of their choosing,
and that includes having a fulfilling, well-paying job and career options to
achieve community integration. Yet today, only three in ten Americans with
disabilities are employed, compared to about seven in ten people without
disabilities. For Black Americans with disabilities, the employment rate is
less than two in ten.
That’s why I am committed to dramatically increasing opportunities for competitive integrated employment. Embracing Senator Tom Harkin’s goal, my administration will work on a national campaign to double labor force participation for people with disabilities by 2030, the 40th anniversary of the ADA, with a focus on closing racial inequities. This will require support from different federal agencies, states, and stakeholders across the private and social sectors. Together, I believe we can dramatically reduce the stigmas of people with disabilities by committing to bold goals, shifting federal policies, and creating a culture of belonging for everyone.
Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more
Bernie Sanders
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 11 – Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes. RespectAbility has reached out to all of the major presidential campaigns on both sides of the aisle and will be posting all responses on The RespectAbility Report. The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Sanders’ responses follows:
1. What policies and actions do you support to reduce the stigmas of people with disabilities that are barriers to employment, independence and equality?
We recently
celebrated the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Despite
the progress we’ve made, we unfortunately still live in a world where people
with disabilities have fewer work opportunities and where the civil rights of
people with disabilities are not always protected and respected. We must
recommit to championing the rights of people with disabilities. As a nation, we
have a moral responsibility to ensure that all people with disabilities have
their rights protected.
We must guarantee
people with disabilities the right to live in the community; truly integrated
employment that pays a living wage; affordable, accessible housing; and the
right to health care, including mental health care and home and community based
services and supports.
Every person with
a disability deserves the right to live in the community and have the services
and supports they need to pursue the American Dream. This right must be
available to all, free of waiting lists and means tests. It is our moral responsibility
to make it happen.
When Bernie is in
the White House he is committed to having an administration that looks like
America to help show every person in America that not only do they belong in
the White House that the White House needs them, their experience, knowledge,
and advocacy in order to create an America that works for everyone.
As President,
Bernie will create a National Office of Disability Coordination focused on
coordinating disability policy making to advance the full inclusion of people
with disabilities, including ensuring every aspect of our public resources are
ADA compliant and that the civil rights of people with disabilities are
enforced. This office will be run by a person with a disability.
Cedar Rapids, Jan. 10 – Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the latest Democratic presidential candidate to release a detailed disability policy plan. Unlike other candidates, the senator also held a live event where she detailed her plan and held a panel discussion with three local disability experts, delving deeper into specific aspects of her plan. In a press statement released prior to the disability-focused event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Klobuchar cited her “a strong track record of standing up for people with disabilities.” Key highlights of the plan include commitments around long-term care, expanding healthcare access, and advancing economic opportunities as well as promoting disability rights at home and abroad.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar hosts a panel discussion on disability rights in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Klobuchar’s
plan includes a reference to her personal and professional efforts on
disability issues. A key accomplishment of her time in the Senate was the
passage of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The ABLE Act has been a pathway for
improved financial security for thousands of people with disabilities and their
families. Likewise, Klobuchar cited her past service on the advisory board of the PACER Center. PACER “provides
individual assistance, workshops, publications, and other resources to help
families” and youth with disabilities.
Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate completes RespectAbility Candidate Questionnaire
Washington, D.C., Jan. 7 – Posted last week on her website, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign has released a comprehensive statement on disability policy covering critical issues such as employment, health care, education, technology and the social safety net. Subsequently, the campaign completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire by the disability advocacy group RespectAbility.
Her responses to questionnaire reflect technical expertise drawn directly from diverse leaders in the disability community.
“People with disabilities are still fighting for economic security, equal opportunity, and inclusion – and they are not fighting alone,” Warren said. “As president, I will work in partnership with the disability community to combat ableism.”
Further, she aligns her campaign commitments to the “the four goals of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.” Establishing a new “National Office of Disability Coordination to ensure that federal programs work together to support people with disabilities” is one way she intends to keep her promises if elected.
Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more
Elizabeth Warren
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 7– Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes. RespectAbility has reached out to all of the major presidential campaigns on both sides of the aisle and will be posting all responses on The RespectAbility Report. The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Warren’s responses follows:
1. What policies and actions do you support to reduce the stigmas of people with disabilities that are barriers to employment, independence and equality?
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the ADA, and the 100th anniversary of the Vocational Rehabilitation program. Though we have made significant progress for the 61 million Americans living with disabilities, we have a lot of ground left to cover. People with disabilities are still fighting for economic security, equal opportunity, and inclusion – and they are not fighting alone. As president, I will work in partnership with the disability community to combat ableism. I will fight alongside them for justice across all aspects of life and to fulfill the four goals of the ADA: equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self sufficiency. I’ll start by making clear that disability is a priority in my administration, creating a National Office of Disability Coordination to ensure that federal programs work together to support people with disabilities.
Building economic security for people with disabilities means rewriting the rules of the economy to foster inclusivity, value their labor, and end labor market discrimination and exploitation. As president, I’ll fight for economic security for individuals with disabilities by supporting opportunities to participate fully in the economy at a fair wage and to ensure financial security for all. My administration will also support children with disabilities and their families by providing crucial early interventions and ensuring meaningful access to education. When children with disabilities are supported and included, they can excel. But right now, we are failing on our country’s promise to give them a great education. My administration will invest in providing a meaningful, free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities by fully funding IDEA and will tackle discriminatory policies and practices in education head-on.
Experts have sounded the alarm about the potential for artificial intelligence and algorithms to discriminate against individuals with disabilities across a variety of areas, including automated job screenings and housing. As president, I’ll create a taskforce that works across relevant federal agencies to promote enforcement of existing anti-discrimination laws, new regulations that specifically address discrimination in current and emerging technology, and guidance to the industry to promote compliance. My administration will ensure that technology is used to advance the interests of people with disabilities.
Systemic failures to consider and include people with disabilities have resulted in unconscionable limitations on their freedom to participate in our society and barriers to housing, transportation, and health care. As President, I’ll protect the rights and civil liberties of people with disabilities in areas like voting, criminal justice, and parental custody. My administration will also fight for affordable, accessible, and green housing, accessible public transportation, and environmental justice. We’ll ensure consistent access to affordable, high quality health care, and lead the fight for disability rights around the world. Read more about my plan here: https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/disability-rights
First Candidate to Complete RespectAbility Candidate Questionnaire
Washington, D.C., Jan. 6 – For the first time this campaign season, businessman Andrew Yang has provided more detailed information regarding a variety of disability-related policies – from education and employment to immigration and community integration. Responding to a questionnaire by the disability advocacy group RespectAbility, businessman Andrew Yang outlined his views.
In responses to 15 questions submitted by the organization concerning people with disabilities, Yang noted the stigmas that exist that “incorrectly label them as liabilities.” He pledged to “incentivize businesses to hire people with disabilities by offering tax benefits to those that provide adequate job training for people with disabilities.”
Regarding immigration, he called for a reversal of the public charge rule that impacts immigrants with disabilities. “In addition to making sure the U.S. does not discriminate against immigrants with disabilities at the border, we must also ensure that immigrants are sufficiently cared for throughout the immigration process,” Yang added.
Key actions and positions posted on the intersection of disability and education, jobs, immigration, climate crisis, criminal justice and more
Andrew Yang
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan, 6 – Presidential candidate Andrew Yang has responded to a detailed candidate questionnaire on disability issues. The questionnaire is from RespectAbility, a nonpartisan nonprofit disability organization that does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes. RespectAbility has reached out to all of the major presidential campaigns on both sides of the aisle and will be posting all responses on The RespectAbility Report. The full text of RespectAbility’s questions and Yang’s responses follows:
1. What policies and actions do you support to reduce the stigmas of people with disabilities that are barriers to employment, independence and equality?
Andrew believes that people with disabilities have much to offer society, and that their contributions are regularly impeded due to the lack of enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). People with disabilities make up a large portion of the population, and everyone loses when these individuals can’t fully participate in society due to structural and systemic barriers. We need to rewrite the rules of our country so that they apply equally to everyone.
Addressing the barriers and stigma around employment should start at the federal level. The government should lead by example through hiring people with disabilities and valuing the contribution of people with disabilities in the workforce. The federal government should also ensure that all of its services, websites, and materials are accessible.
If the government improved enforcement of the ADA, people with disabilities would have more opportunities to find work and integrate into society. Andrew is committed to the consolidation of federal agencies that enforce the ADA into a synchronized single entity, ending the problematic fragmentation of our current system. He will appoint people with disabilities to positions to ensure that they are represented throughout the decision- and policy-making process.
Andrew supports policies that strengthen the enforcement of the ADA and ensure that the civil rights of people with disabilities are protected as the law requires. Andrew supports the Disability Integration Act (DIA), as well as increasing funding for special education.
RespectAbility, a nonpartisan national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community, has sent its nonpartisan voter questionnaire to of all the viable presidential candidates on a variety of disability issues. The outreach is being done in conjunction with…
Los Angeles, Dec. 19 – For the first time this political
season, a debate moderator, Politico’s Tim Alberta, asked a question
specifically on disability policy – giving the example of Kyle, a young adult
with disabilities in Iowa: “Are there specific steps you would take to help
people like Kyle to become more integrated into the workforce and into their
local communities?”
Out of more than 20 million working-age people with
disabilities, just 7.5 million have jobs, while 70 percent would prefer to be
employed. This data also
shows the serious gaps that remain between disabled and non-disabled Americans:
37 percent of U.S. civilians with disabilities ages 18-64 living in the
community had a job, compared to 77.2 percent for people without
disabilities.
Just three candidates were given the opportunity to respond
– businessmen Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Sen. Amy
Klobuchar – and potentially others off camera – also tried to answer but the
moderators moved on to another topic.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 19 – Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially announced that he is running for president in the democratic primary. But how is his campaign doing on including people with disabilities?
Michael Bloomberg
For a presidential campaign to be fully inclusive of people with disabilities, it needs to meet the following requirements, at a minimum: (1) offer captioning with every video it shares or produces, (2) mention people with disabilities and their issues, (3) depict people with visible disabilities in its media, (4) reach out to and fully include the disability community, and (5) provide accessible campaign events, social media, documents and website. Bloomberg’s campaign has room for improvement, but there are some positive signs that the campaign is trying to be inclusive.
Los Angeles, Dec. 17 – As seven presidential candidates get ready for the sixth Democratic debate on Thursday, The RespectAbility Report, an online publication focused on the intersection of politics and disability, has put together a comparison of the candidate’s positions on the employment of people with disabilities. The seven candidates who qualified for the debate are: Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Bernie Sanders, businessman Tom Steyer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and businessman Andrew Yang.
Of these candidates, five of them have a disability policy plan on their campaign website: Vice President Biden, Mayor Buttigieg, Sen. Warren, Sen. Sanders and Yang. However, only Mayor Buttigieg and Sen. Warren’s plans address disability employment specifically and concretely.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 2 – Under the banner headline of “Fighting for an Accessible and Inclusive America,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren pledges she “will always fight for the full inclusion of people with disabilities.” The presidential candidate’s thorough plan to address disability rights highlights both her record of advocacy in areas such as employment and education while also pledging major actions on health care and inclusion. Her disability rights plan concludes by making it clear that this “policy is personal.”
Noting High Intersection Between Disability and LGBTQ+ Communities, Buttigieg Addresses Bullying Epidemic
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nov. 26 – The 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary is heating up, and in recent polls, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been surging in Iowa. Earlier this month, he released a comprehensive plan for the disability community and rolled it out at a Democratic Party Candidate Forum, Accessibility for All, on disability issues in Cedar Rapids. This forum was the first time in the 2020 campaign cycle that disability issues were the main topic of discussion.
As a veteran, he placed a particular emphasis on mental health and suicide prevention, saying that “the place we need to get to as a country is where it is as routine to talk about and act on mental health issues as we would a physical challenge.” Mental health is the most common disability that people in America have, so Mayor Buttigieg’s emphasis on it was notable.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nov. 24 – Earlier this month, seven presidential campaigns made history together as they participated in a Democratic Party forum, Accessibility for All, focused on issues affecting people with disabilities. This is the first time this campaign season that a forum was held specifically on this topic.…
Washington, D.C., Nov. 1 – Tomorrow in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, eight campaigns are set to participate in a history-making Accessibility, Inclusion, and Outreach Conference focused specifically on issues that affect people with disabilities. This is important, as while recent polling suggests that voters with disabilities themselves are more enthusiastic about participating in the 2020 elections than the nation at large, none of the campaigns are yet fully accessible to the disability community.
“It is vital for the democratic process to be open to all people and all means all – including people with disabilities,” said Lauren Appelbaum, vice president, communications of RespectAbility. “The majority of voters have a friend or family member with a disability or have a disability themselves. It is truly exciting that eight campaigns will be focusing their attention on addressing the 1-in-5 people living in America with a disability.”
Seven of the Democratic candidates will participate themselves. They are:
Sen. Cory Booker
Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Rep. John Delaney
Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Rep. Beto O’Rourke
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Mr. Andrew Yang
Additionally, former Sen. Chris Dodd will speak on behalf of Vice President Joe Biden.
According to “Accessibility For All Now,” the organizers of the Forum, candidates will answer questions posed by people with disabilities and members of the Linn County Medical Society, which is co-hosting the forum.
Washington, D.C., Oct. 24 – At a presidential campaign fundraiser on Capitol Hill last night, Sen. Cory Booker said disability rights is “an important issue.” Speaking to members of The RespectAbility Report, he stated he has and is going to have a lot of policies relating to disability rights coming out.
“We have more to do to ensure equality for Americans with disabilities who still face high poverty rates & barriers to health care & quality of life,” Cory Booker tweeted in commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) this summer. “As president, I’ll fight for equal rights & inclusion for people with disabilities.”
Washington, D.C., Oct. 12 – When presidential candidates include senior staff and advisors with disabilities, with the same effort as other marginalized populations, they are exposed to a variety of thoughts and ideas. Mayor Pete Buttigieg proved that during a recent interview with The New Republic when he noted the…
85% of voters find it very or somewhat important that presidential candidates have campaign events and websites that are open and accessible to people with disabilities, just like everyone else. 73% of voters are more likely to support candidates for elected office who will make ensuring that children with disabilities…
