by Paul Edwards
Many people in the American Council of the Blind know that I have historically voted as a Democrat. I have sought never to allow my political persuasion to color the way I have led this organization. In that tradition, I have decided that it is now time for us in ACB to speak to every person seeking elective office in this country. I believe that what I say will speak for both the Democrats and Republicans among us.
People with disabilities must be heard once and for all by those who seek political office. Our message must be clear, explicit and uncompromising. Whether we are speaking to judges, city commissioners, town selectmen, state representatives, Congressional candidates, or those who seek the presidency, our message is the same. I hope that all of you can use what follows to frame how you deal with candidates. I believe that everything I will say is based either on positions this organization has taken or on general principles that are core values of the disability rights movement.
We are obliged to take politics seriously because our issues are, for the most part, being marginalized by both major political parties. We must say to those seeking office that we will no longer tolerate vague generalizations of good will. It is time for us to ask for specifics and to castigate those who have not kept their promises. Unless we become involved and actively seek to place our issues on everyone’s political agenda, we will not be heard and our needs will not be met. Anyway, for better or for worse, here is my attempt at communicating with the future office-holders of this nation.
Dear Office-seeker:
I am one of 54 million people with disabilities. We are the largest minority in the United States. We are the poorest minority in the United States. We are a minority whose unemployment rate is 70 percent. We are a minority whose children are dropping out of school at twice the rate of non-disabled people. And, in case you didn’t get it, we are a minority!
When you speak of minorities you usually do not include us. We affirm that our status as a minority arises from the fact that we suffer from insidious, systematic and unrelenting discrimination. Ten years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act neither the dropout rate nor employment have been much affected. The promise of the 1990s has been replaced by the perils of the 21st century. Both the news media and politicians have attacked the only civil rights law that protects us. What specific steps will you take to protect the rights that the ADA affirms and to move beyond protection to assure that people with disabilities can fully participate in our society?
The 21st century will be known as the century of information. Technology is less affordable and less accessible to people with disabilities. What steps will you take to mandate that your community, state or the nation assures that people with disabilities are not excluded from the immense benefits of information technology?
Funding for programs and services for people with disabilities has remained inadequate. In many communities per capita expenditure on disability-specific programs has fallen. What will you do to guarantee that funds are channeled into programs that begin to redress the inequity that makes people with disabilities the most under-employed and poorest minority?
The Social Security system continues to create disincentives to return to work. The per capita income of people with disabilities is well below the poverty level. What will you do to make community, state and federal funds available to provide for the equipment and work incentives that will enable people with disabilities to return to work? What specific Social Security reforms will you sponsor?
Not one state got good marks from the Department of Education for their implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The percentage of blind children who graduate able to read braille continues to fall and far too many disabled children are being encouraged to work toward meaningless and limiting special diplomas rather than seeking regular high school graduation. Dropout rates for students with disabilities are significantly higher. What specific steps will you take to assure that real educational opportunities and true individual educational programming emerge for students with disabilities?
While the unemployment rate for the nation, as a whole, is below 5 percent, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities remains at near 70 percent. At least a substantial portion of this unemployment is the result of systematic discrimination. What specific steps will you take to assure that the discrimination that limits employment for people with disabilities will be vigorously opposed?
While other Americans can and do make choices about their futures, people with disabilities are often treated in custodial ways and have very limited choices. What will you do to broaden the ability of each American with a disability to choose where he or she works, what community activities he or she chooses to participate in, and where he or she chooses to live?
No matter what steps our country takes to make jobs and our communities more available to people with disabilities, these efforts will be worthless if we do not develop a public transportation infrastructure that enables people with disabilities to travel freely. What will you do to assure that communities, states and the nation create public fixed-route and paratransit systems that are truly available to people with disabilities?
There is clear and unequivocal evidence that demonstrates that services delivered to blind people by separate, self-contained service delivery models with their own budgets and consumer governance are far more successful than models where services are delivered to all disability groups at once. What specific steps will you take to create and protect separate services for people who are blind?
More than half of the blind people in the United States are over 55 years of age. Less than 10 percent of the funds spent on serving blind people aid this population. Describe the particular actions you will take to redress this imbalance and provide appropriate services to older people who are blind.
Hundreds of people who are blind die or are seriously injured because our nation is becoming increasingly less safe for pedestrians. What will you do in your community, state or in the nation to create more accessible pedestrian signalized street crossings, tactile warnings at dangerous street crossings and a more pedestrian-friendly environment?
Both major political parties, cities, states, and the federal government receive very little input from people with disabilities. Describe the steps you have taken and will take to assure that the opinions of people with disabilities are regularly sought. What will you do to broaden access to government for people who are disabled?
People with disabilities often cannot exercise their right to vote in privacy because very little effort has been made to make ballots accessible, and many polling places are inaccessible. Describe the steps you would take to assure that people with disabilities can exercise their right to cast a ballot independently at an accessible polling place.
I hope that you as a candidate recognize that these questions are just a few of the many that could have been asked. People with disabilities are the minority with least appeal and with the most serious agenda. Systematic exclusion, whether intended or not, is real and endemic to our society. No candidate who is not prepared to publicly recognize the serious problems faced by people with disabilities deserves to be elected. We are not a special-interest group crying out for privilege! We are a minority group demanding our rights as American citizens. We do not ask for your support. We demand your action. Persuade us that you are serious about giving the 20 percent of Americans we are a fair chance to be treated equally! This is our challenge. How do you respond?
Well, folks, that’s my letter. You may have other issues that you want to highlight. You may not like some of my language. Change it! The real point here is that candidates must be made to speak out on disability issues. Ask candidates to come to your meetings or to respond in writing. Tell them you want to hear them incorporating your issues into their campaigns. If you can or will, offer to help with the campaign of the candidate in whom you believe. I hope that every state and local affiliate will send a letter such as this one out to every candidate seeking political office. I hope, too, that you will vote based on the responses you receive or the silence that speaks louder than any response does. Each of you has the power to affect political change. Shame on you if you choose not to exercise your power and your concern at the ballot box this November!