Tag: disability rights

When I’m writing, a debate is going on at 1:00 in the morning on the current administration’s reconciliation bill. This is America’s future.. I am not a liberal. I love the Democratic process. Where the people we elect, those whom we choose to trust, are supposed to have our best interests in mind. I will not post this until Thursday afternoon. By then, we will know what happened. I want people to understand how those with disabilities will be affected, at least one person.

The Medicaid program will receive drastic cuts. I’m going to tell you exactly how these cuts would affect my family directly. I acknowledge and understand that I am blessed and fortunate because of my efforts in the advocacy world. I want you to think about others who are not so fortunate. I’ve seen the models that are predicted, at a minimum of 10%. These cuts are like a square peg in a round hole. It doesn’t work! I receive Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) under a waiver program in New Jersey State Medicaid. This program is legally optional in every state, meaning this will be the first thing to go.

Matthew 25:40 NIV “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

• My $60,000 accessible vehicle receives annual servicing to ensure optimal performance. I primarily use this for transportation. For doctor’s appointments and other important engagements. It also helps me avoid becoming a social isolate. The mechanic can fix the motor, but not the lift for the van. This is factual, not fraudulent.
• I’m currently allowed to go on respites, which gives my father and other family members who assist with my daily care a necessary break so they don’t become burned out or heal if they’re sick. Keeping people in the community is demonstrably cheaper than institutional care. This is how you can prevent waste.
• Once a week, I receive physical therapy at home to make sure my body does not deteriorate. I could get a prescription from my doctor, it covers approximately 8 weeks of physical therapy. What would happen to your body if you only exercised 8 weeks out of the 52-week year? Not to mention that my father would have to drive me to a facility to do this, putting more mileage on our vehicle.
• My $50,000 wheelchair is due to be replaced. How much is it going to cost the taxpayers now? This is not abuse, this is necessary accommodation. Should I stay in bed and waste away? If people want those with disabilities dead, why don’t they have the guts to say it?
• If there’s no oversight, each state will have its own unique Medicaid and Medicare program. I come from a great family, although geographically dispersed. If I have to move, my systemic quality of life would be very different. If I didn’t have a family, I would go into a facility and slowly die. We saw this happen in the mid-80s when Geraldo Rivera first exposed it, and we saw it happen again during the outbreak of the pandemic. It was my understanding did America was supposed to be great for all.
• With Medicaid, I can entertain job offers and job coaching services. I guess my money is not good enough for the economy.

My fellow Americans, individuals with disabilities, we are not a terrorist organization. We want to help our nation grow, not hurt it. Is this what you want to hurt your neighbors, your family, and your friends? How will you be able to sleep when all these changes roll out? Have a good night, and may God bless America.

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My fellow individuals and families living with disabilities. No matter what you’re diagnosed with, whether your disability is visible or invisible, the truth is we face difficult times. What can we do about it? Disabled Americans are Americans. We must remind our neighbors that we do exist. That we can and do lead productive lives. Don’t go back in isolation. Don’t go back to being treated like a plant or a house pet. Be the human being you were made to be. Go out to the store and run your errands. Go bowling with your friends. Go out to dinner and order that steak.

If you are an individual with more significant needs, then encourage your family or caregivers to take you out to those stores so people can see you and see that your life has value. Show them what matters in this world. Money and possessions will only be temporary. We live in a world where people project false faith. Some folks have to see it before they believe it.

John 20:25 NIV So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

We were made to be more than “inspirational’’ right now, that might be what this world needs. Fighting is inevitable, but the way we fight is just as important as what we’re fighting for. Engage in battle using your words and spirit. Not with anger and violence, because that is what they want. It is up to us to change the narrative. To lead by example, not from the shadows, as some are doing today. Disability is not a partisan issue. It is a natural part of human existence. When you frame your proposals, your presentations, and your peaceful protests, show them that it makes “common sense” to support individuals and families with disabilities. Show them that by not supporting us, they’re only doing themselves harm. We might have been born disabled, but everyone else is just temporarily abled. People only support disability unless they’re affected by it.

The time is now to affect their lives with our disabilities. With our perceived weaknesses, help them see our strengths. This cannot wait until tomorrow. This cannot wait until the fear subsides. We must lean on each other so we don’t break. Our journey is long; our struggle and challenges are ever-present. We have the advantage because we were born resilient. We were bred for this battle. They’re not. They protect fear because they are afraid. They bluster because they don’t understand. They boast because they are afraid to lose. Disability is not to be feared. Disability is not a curse or a punishment. It is a platform to show their true values in life. I would like to close with this question: if you were the holy creator, would you use your strongest warriors for the easy battles or save them for the ones you need to win?

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The Medicaid program was established in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In its simplest form, Medicaid is health insurance for people with limited incomes. The proposed budget passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month would cut about 880 billion. If this program receives cuts or caps, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will die.

Matthew 22:39 NIV And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

This is not an overreaction. States cannot make up the funds if these cuts are in the final budget. If this program is limited in any way, America will unconsciously sponsor the genocide of its citizens over the next 10 years. I, for one, cannot get out of bed unless I have a caregiver who is paid by the state to help me get out of bed. Without them, I would die of a bed sore. No matter how much I move around. If an individual uses a feeding tube and no one is there to change the tube, they will die. To receive any adult services, such as attending a day program or any kind of supported employment, we must be eligible for Medicaid. Depending on how deep the cuts go, States will no longer be accepting new individuals, meaning folks will waste away in their homes. This will not save taxpayers money, it will cost them more. It has been proven that it is cheaper in the long run to have people live in the community instead of in an institutional setting.

I can attest to this. I recently remodeled my home to make it more accessible. I redid the bathroom and added a Hoyer lift system to my bedroom. It did cost over $50,000. However, this will ensure that I can stay in my home for the next 15 or 20 years. With these necessary accommodations, I can continue to do my advocacy work and be a part of my community. As of the release of this writing, I am on the way to attend the State of the Union as a guest of New Jersey’s Senator Andy Kim. My brother is out with his caregiver getting eggs and milk. We both have the same disability and we’re still living a full life.

Give me liberty or give me death!”

Patrick Henry- american Patriot

America can only thrive if everyone does their part. Supporting individuals with disabilities build local, state, and national economies. Disability is not a burden on society. It is a part of the human experience. I may have been born disabled but everyone else is only temporarily abled. People with disabilities are your neighbors, your family, and your friends. As we grow so does America. The Medicaid program is not a safety net, it is a lifeline. My fellow Americans, if you value life, then tell your elected officials in Washington, DC, no cuts to the Medicaid program. A disabled life is an American Life.

Undeniably, reading and math comprehension scores have gone down across the country. Parents can feel lost because they cannot assist their children with their homework as new techniques of long division are being taught to our children. Since before the outbreak in 2020, a strong argument can be made that students today lack critical social and life skills before graduating high school. Americans should be concerned about the education of our kids. Changes must be made.

Is eliminating the Department of Education (DOE) the answer? This proposed initiative was suggested well before President Trump took office. His executive order, signed a few days ago, cannot eliminate the department. That can only be done by Congress. People need to contact them. The belief is this would save the taxpayers money and give more control to the states. I will be the first one to advocate for eliminating wasteful spending and helping Americans with their taxes. This is not the way to do it.

States rely on that funding to ensure adequate resources for their students. Especially those with disabilities and other educational needs. In the same way, the Electoral College ensures equal footing for the states. The DOE ensures equal opportunity for all students. Students with disabilities have value to their peers. They need the opportunity to show it. After a certain age, you learn that some lessons cannot be taught from a textbook but by interactions with those around you. Supporting individuals with disabilities. Creates jobs and innovative technologies.

If students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are excluded from learning in the least restrictive environment then non-disabled students will be missing out on a vital part of the human experience. Education should never be a partisan issue all Americans should want the best for their children. If you believe, as I do, that prayer should be allowed back in schools, then why can’t someone pray alongside someone who has a disability? This is inclusion.

Matthew 18:20 NIV For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 

All parents should have options for where their children go to school; however, there must be safeguards and basic standards to ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive beyond their circumstances. After all, America is a land of opportunity! The government should have limits, and that is the essence of the Constitution: to create a contract between the people and their government. A proper education promotes all parts of the preamble.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

Preamble to the US Constitution

There’s a difference between disagreeing with the curriculum a school board offers and completely dismantling the educational system. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Attend your school board meetings. Advocate for your kids. No student should be confined to the back of a building because a school board lacks the resources to provide them with a proper education. Eliminating the Department of Education shouldn’t be about saving money, rather Ensuring the future of America is the objective!

What makes a person who they are? Is it their gender? Is it their sexual orientation? Is it their ethnicity? Is it their faith? Is it the legacy they leave behind? Is it the way they’re perceived? Identity politics cannot define a human being As a Christian heterosexual Latino male with a developmental disability, I’m well aware of the labels society has put on me. Can you see me as Kevin?

“Labels are for soup cans, not people.” –Gary Rubin.

On the back of my business cards is a photo of myself with the quote, “Look at the person, not the disability.”

 This is how most people perceive me. My disability does not define me; however, it is a significant part of my identity that I cannot separate from myself. Likewise, I cannot hide my Puerto Rican heritage or my love for Jesus Christ. A person cannot be defined by just one trait. It is the intersectionality of all these characteristics, combined with their experiences, that shapes who a person is.

'And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 'Matthew 7:3

It’s wrong to judge or to have any bias. The fact is we  all judge and have unconscious biases. I am seen as an inspiration or as a token for society. Someone who looks like me should be offered more jobs than just the greeter at Walmart. I’m aware of how blessed I am. I know I was put on this Earth to be the voice for others. We all have gifts and blessings that others desire. 

 The label of “disability” is the one I have to wear to have access to programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. It has never been about a check in the mail, it is my key to life. Without it, I don’t have caregivers to get me out of bed in the morning. In my life, I’ve employed anywhere from 20 to 30 different Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). Supporting individuals with disabilities does contribute to both local and federal economies.“Medicaid dollars”  helped me make notable accommodations to my home so I could live in a community and not be locked away. This will save taxpayers money in the long run. Any cuts or caps to these programs would be a slow death sentence. I have the same right to live as anyone else, but to do so, I have been placed in a societal box.

The elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is extremely damaging to the disability community, which has long been fighting to be seen, heard, and represented. Inclusion is more than just ensuring a certain number of people attend a specific event or hold particular positions; it’s about recognizing the person as a whole. Representation matters, but it must be approached carefully and purposefully to avoid confining ourselves to more boxes.

I know I’ve said a lot in this post, and I hope this can spark a series of conversations—that’s what I want. People from different ideologies need to start working and talking together. Democrats and Republicans are not evil; they’re human! Don’t categorize people. Don’t judge others before you truly get to know them. Learn to see the whole person, not just certain aspects of what you observe on the surface. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.