As A Disabled Woman, I Am Terrified By A Trump Presidency

Last week, we experienced the unimaginable in the form of Donald Trump winning the presidential election. And as a woman with a disability, I am terrified.

I was, and am, a strong Hillary Clinton supporter, with an affinity that runs deeper than most. For me, it wasn’t just that I believed that the United States needed her. I strongly believed that she was the only candidate who cared about people like me: people with disabilities. It is for this reason that I pleaded with strangers to not vote for Donald Trump.

Unlike Hillary Clinton, who has a long history of fighting for disability rights, Trump has shown complete disdain for my community. He mocked a reporter with my disability, arthrogryposis. His buildings continue to be investigated for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). His supporters shoved a 12-year-old’s wheelchair at a rally as Trump instructed security to “Get him out, please. Get him out.” These are only a few of the instances when Donald Trump showed how little he respects people with disabilities.

Other than having a president who has demonstrated complete apathy toward the disability community, what does his election really mean going forward? The truth is, we don’t completely know because he never bothered to develop any policies related to people with…