My Challenge to the 2020 Candidates as a Disabled Voter

Another election is upon those who live in the United States. The hopeful candidates will be discussing important issues such as women’s rights, healthcare reform etc. However, I think it’s likely there will be one topic blatantly ignored by both parties – the rights of the disabled community.

Politicians and the general public seem to believe that the Americans With Disabilities Act exists, so what more could we as a community want and need? Plenty. The ADA desperately needs to be overhauled. The overall makeup of the disabled community has changed drastically in the past 30 years. Laws and accessibility need updating. What is currently in place in the system is no longer meeting basic needs. Disabled people are constantly marginalized.

Congress continues to cut funding to programs like speech, occupational and physical therapy on a yearly basis. Parents of children who require these services are being forced to pay out of pocket once the yearly cap has been met. Others have been denied services, some being told their child doesn’t meet the necessary requirements.

Recently there has been an influx of feel-good stories in the media about students raising money to help purchase a wheelchair for a classmate and another about a wheelchair that was built for a small boy. Yes, both of these stories show the generosity and kindness of others, but the truth of the matter is that the disabled community is facing a dire crisis. The healthcare system is failing us horribly. People should not have to rely on the “kindness of others” to obtain assistive devices such as wheelchairs.

As long as the disabled community is marginalized and ignored, there will be no change. Physically getting to a polling place can be challenging for some and virtually impossible for others. Having our voices heard by those who don’t want to hear what we have to say is frustrating and at times, infuriating.

That’s why for the upcoming 2020 election, I’m challenging the candidates to make disability rights one of the main platforms of their campaign.

We will no longer be silenced. We will no longer be ignored.