Disability Rights

Last year, I was privileged to be a part of the ADA29 celebration in my town. It commemorated the anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act and brought attention to the issues important to some friends of mine. I learned a lot but then again we are often made aware of new things, and ideas, when we pay attention to other peoples lives.
I value their insights and look forward to ensuring that I, as an ally, represent them in Congress, on the issues important to them.

Did you know:
Only 1 in 5 disabled Americans are employed.* This is compared to 65% of non-disabled workers. Disabled workers are twice as likely to be employed part time. We must work to provide equity in employment.

The Trump Administration is currently working to target the disabled and disqualify them from Social Security Insurance benefits, using more frequent examinations to determine eligibility. (It should be noted the cost of these evaluations is estimated at $1.8B and savings would only be $2B, resulting in a net savings of $200K while harassing 2.8 million Americans.) I oppose this discriminatory action.

Additionally, regulations for Social Security Disability Benefits currently include strict income limits that may cause disabled persons to lose their benefits if they choose to marriage. This is, on its face, discriminatory. It is a governmental practice that penalizes human beings and determines who they can legally love and be loved by. I will work to end this discrimination.

I support, and will work to gather votes for, the Disability Integration Act, which will require public and private insurers to cover long term care and help enable people to live independent lives in their own communities.

I support greater funding for paratransit from the Federal Transit Administration. By ensuring Disabled Workers have proper access to transportation, we ensure an equitable chance at advancement and pay increase.

In concert with this I support expanding benefits of the The Disabled Access Credit, The Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. These tax credits encourage small businesses to hire disabled workers. If we consider small businesses the backbone of our economy, giving that backbone the ability to grow for everyone is paramount.

Finally, did you know over 14 million disabled voters cast ballots in the 2018 mid-terms. How many more would do so with greater access? We’ll find out in 2020, 2022, 2024 and so on and so on. Pay attention representatives.

Listen and answer questions because my friends are deeply committed. In our little corner of North Texas, they have cast huge shots across the bow of ableism in the last year.

What I’ve written here are just a few ideas I want to make happen. I look forward to hearing what more we should ALL be talking about.

*Per Office of Disability Employment Policy — 2018 Current Population Survey. 19.1% of disabled persons are employed.

Resources:
The Disability Inclusion Society of Denton is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization, committed to Empowering Disability Culture and Inclusion. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/DisabilityInclusionSociety/
For more information on current ADA standards and Topics of Interest: https://www.ada.gov/topics_of_interest.htm
For Information on the Denton County Democratic Party Disability Cause, join: https://www.facebook.com/DisabilityCommitteeDCDP/