Tag: disability rights

As an individual living with Cerebral Palsy (CP), I take pride in being nonpartisan. My disability does not care if I support the elephants or the donkeys in November. Most likely, I will not walk in January regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office. I may have been born disabled but everyone else is temporarily abled. Your body will fail, and you will need help from someone else to help you live your life. I can see both sides of most hot-button issues if you want to balance the economy ask someone who has a balanced budget on a fixed income for the majority of their life.

I would never impede anyone’s opinions or beliefs, Please be a patriot and go vote in November. Many suggest that eliminating the Department of Education would help balance the budget and bring money back to the states. This is not an efficient way to cut down on wasteful spending. This would be wrong and dangerous for individuals and families with disabilities.

Most Americans have never heard of the Individuals with disabilities education Act (IDEA). The legislation was revised in 1990 under a republican administration. Here is a quick overview of the law. According to Access for Special KidsResource Center (ASK)

• Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
• Appropriate Evaluation
• Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
• Parent and student participation in decision-making
• Procedural Safeguards

I am not ashamed to admit that I had an IEP meeting every year since I can remember. It ensured I had the proper support I needed to thrive as a student. I had a paraprofessional accompany me to every class who took my notes, helped me review materials after class, and helped me with my personal takes. I attended mainstream classes. I was not locked away in the special ed classroom. Every year some of the teachers f thought that’s where I belonged because I was a wheelchair user. I loved proving them wrong. The other students had to see me as a person not just a disability. I was a student just like them with goals, dreams, and embarrassing moments to overcome.

Psalms 41:1 NIV [1] Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.

Disability should not be a burden on society, it should be an asset to their communities. Students without disabilities should not be afraid to approach those who are different. All children should be able to learn and help each other. That is how we build a prosperous future for America The reporter Geraldo Rivera exposed the horrors of Institutional living in the mid-80s. All these years later our population is still being Isolated. What makes one student less than another? Disabled students are placed in out-of-district schools that “specialize in disabilities.” They need to be allowed to see if they can adapt and grow with non-disabled peers before being segregated. The easiest solution is not always the best solution. There should not be a disabled population, versus a non-disabled population, but Americans. We need to move forward not backward.

I’ve spent the last week and a half watching the Paralympics, have you? I am a proud American and love this country with all my heart. I would have enlisted to defend this nation long ago. Since I turned 18 I made sure to vote in every election, including the primaries. Most people don’t even know who sits on their School boards but I do. I always do my due diligence to research the candidates. That’s what you’re supposed to do. I am part of the American population that has been ignored, and I finally have a way to prove it. There is a sad truth in America. Unless disability affects your life in some way people don’t care about you. A few weeks ago there was non-stop coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Everyone knew that LeBron James carried the flag at the opening ceremonies. Does anyone know who carried the flag for the USA in the Paralympic games?

Steve Serio has participated in several Paralympic games; he is the captain of the US wheelchair basketball team. All the sports channels went crazy when the US rugby team won a medal. Does anyone know what the Paralympic rugby team won? For years Michael Phelps and Simone Biles were on in primetime. The Paralympics have never been in primetime. Is it because the girls who play seated volleyball don’t wear revealing outfits like the ones in beach volleyball? I never saw any tick-tock with Snoop Dogg next to a paralympic athlete. For 17 days there were recaps every night of all the events if you didn’t have the peacock app they don’t televise 99% of the events. Channels in other languagesPromoted the Olympics for months, not this time

Does anybody care? We have all moved on to our fantasy football leagues and pumpkin spice lattes. America likes to preach equality and equity, but when it comes to the disabled we are hypocrites. I feel it is because America has this misguided belief that individuals with disabilities no matter what the diagnosis only serve to inspire and encourage the rest of the population. We cannot be seen as equals because otherwise the rest of America would have to see their mistakes and see their weaknesses. Americans like to pretend we are invincible. Besides liking a real on Instagram that lasts 3 minutes long we cannot be bothered to be moved outside of our comfort zone.

Leviticus 19:18 NIV  “ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Paralympic athletes are athletes. Instead of asking Alexa some dumb question ask it to give you a list of all the paralympic records that have been shattered over the last week and a half! Instead of complaining that there’s nothing on Netflix to watch. I dare you to look at a game of Goalball, paralympic bench pressing, or Blindsoccer. Everyone has their struggles but the disability population was not created just to make you feel good about your tribulations. We are your friends, we are your neighbors, and we should be treated as such we should be respected like every American!

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Whether we like it or not, 2024 is a presidential election year. Now that we are most likely faced with a rematch, Americans will have to make a choice. It’s fair to say that President Biden has had his share of critics. His first term is not even over, but I don’t think many historians are going to put him in their top five of the best US presidents. I know I’m a few months early, but as a disability advocate, I have a different perspective. There are issues that matter to me that most people don’t think about. Most people don’t recognize disabilities until they’re affected by them. We finally have a president who has seen this underrepresented community.

“provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of liberty.”

free and both of the US Constitution

Biden became the first president to improve the lives of people and families with disabilities when he vowed to support Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), which includes long-term services and supports. (LTSS) People with disabilities should live in their communities in the least restrictive environment. For some people with disabilities, they are locked away and forgotten. We must serve and protect those who are most vulnerable. Some may want us dead. We all have the same right to live.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [14] The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

I am a capitalist. It is maddening to me that just because I was born with a disability, I am forced into a system of poverty. There is nothing wrong with being broke. What is wrong is that I, as an American, don’t have a chance to change that. The social security asset limit set in the mid-1980s has not changed. Under this administration, there has been serious discussion about raising it. I cannot have more than $2,000 in a bank account, so someone else can pay for my $50,000 wheelchair. How does that make sense? I want to live my American Dream, not exist off of the backs of others. There is nothing like going home knowing you earned that money.

Emily Voorde probably won’t be studied in history books like Kamala Harris. Voorde was the associate director of public engagement for just under 500 days. For the first time in my life, I saw someone who looked like me in a real position of power. She was not there just to be a token, but to actually make change.

Most Americans don’t realize that we still don’t have marriage equality in this country. There is still a marriage penalty for those with disabilities. This president may stumble with his words from time to time, but I’m confident he would support eliminating this obscene restriction so people can love regardless of their abilities.

I certainly don’t agree with all of the Biden administration’s policies. He still has more proof. The work is still not done. However, he is the first president to give me, as a disabled American, hope for my American Dream.

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