All people deserve the support they might need to live independently, move around, care for themselves, get an education, vote, and work safely and productively.

As a society we should be dedicated to providing rights, dignity, and opportunity to every member of society.  Only that way can we unleash the true potential of the country.

People with disabilities are often denied these basic rights. They are denied vital healthcare and home-based care and assistance they need to live independently. They are too often forced into institutions where they have little freedom and abuse is rampant, plus they are impoverished by policies that penalize them for working and earning money.

Although the  Americans with Disabilities Act was update in 1990, it’s time to update and expand it’s stated objectives.

Disabled children are often cruelly restrained, isolated, suspended and expelled for disability-related behaviors, and deprived of the attention and support they need to learn and thrive.  

Disabled people face high rates of sexual assault, are much more likely than non-disabled people to be killed by police officers, and are frequently disenfranchised by discriminatory laws and polling place inaccessibility. 

Disabled people face rampant inaccessibility and discrimination in everything from employment to transportation.

Disabled people and their families and allies have been fighting for their rights with courage and dedication for decades, but our government has often failed to listen to them. By addressing the needs of those with disabilities, we help not only them but we help the rest of society as well. People with disabilities have profound lessons to teach to those who haven’t dealt with their challenges. The more we integrate them into society, the better lives we all lead, and the richer we all become.

The U.S. government should fully commit itself to guaranteeing people of all abilities full civil rights and all the support they need to thrive.

• Focus on the fact that about 1/4 of Americans have a disability, but due to rampant exclusion and prejudice Americans with disabilities have always been underrepresented in politics and governance.
• People with disabilities should be fairly represented in all appointed positions.
• We need to proactively people with disabilities in their efforts to secure better representation in Congress, in the Judiciary, and in state and local governments.
• All government agencies should be equally committed to defending the rights of Americans of all abilities.

Disability Integration Act

• Acknowledge the fact that people with physical disabilities who need help with daily activities — like getting out of bed, dressing, eating, and showering — are often pushed into nursing homes or other institutions where they can be deprived of independence and end up at high risk of being abused.
• We should pass the existing, bipartisan Disability Integration Act that would remedy this injustice by preventing discrimination by the health insurance industry, and requiring all healthcare insurers to cover home healthcare.

Long Term Care & Home and Community Based Services

• Establish a Federal Community-Care Agency to ensure community-based care, long-term in-home and in-community support, and visitation rights to the disabled community and seniors.
• Update the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Ensure all public housing is accessible as required by the ADA.
• Pass Universal healthcare and extend health coverage — including coverage for home care — to currently uninsured Americans, and make sure that all health insurance covers at-home care.
• Work to transition currently institutionalized people with disabilities to supported independent living, as appropriate.
• Expand funding for the Aging and Disability Resource Centers.
• Combat gentrification by prioritizing public housing for people with disabilities and historic area residents.
• Pass a permanent Money Follows the Person (MFP) program to counter institutionalization and guarantee a Right to Return to homes and community.
• Terminate small business exemptions to the ADA and ensure federal funds are available for compliance oversight in smaller businesses.
• Eliminate Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and other onerous compliance requirements and enact protections against healthcare surveillance.
• Make it illegal for individual’s possessions or property to be kept by an assisted living facility after death.

Let Disabled People Work and Earn Wealth

• Address the terrible disincentive that people with disabilities face when they have the opportunity to work.  Currently people with disabilities need Social Security Insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid to cover their healthcare and living expenses. However, if they work and are paid more than $1,470 monthly (or $2,460 monthly for blind persons), their access to these programs is cut off.  This forces many disabled people to stay poor and prevents them from taking on full-time work.
• Guarantee healthcare as a right to all people and work with Congress to reform Social Security Insurance so that disabled people are not penalized for earning wages.
• Raise the cap on earnings and create a smooth transition from financial dependence to true financial independence.
• Expand Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Social Income (SSI) to at least a living wage (Cost of Living + 10%).
• Expand access to Social Security/SSDI/SSI, including the provision of public lawyers to assist in SSDI application process, and eliminate the SSI waiting period.
• End all exceptions in wage laws and workplace protections for individuals with disabilities, such as the sub-minimum wage.
• Address the fact that many workplaces are insensitive to or even hostile to people with disabilities. My administration will work to ensure that basic things like access to buildings are provided, as well as training of employers to be aware of what disabled people CAN do, and training of staff to be respectful toward those who may be different than themselves.