To President-Elect Donald Trump, From an American With a Disability

Dear Mr. Trump,

I hope this letter finds you doing well. You might remember me from the letter I wrote to you asking for an apology for mocking New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski’s disability. I don’t know if you read it or not, but it’d still be nice to get an apology.

First, I want to say congratulations on the win, and I truly hope your presidency is a successful one. However, now that you are in line to become the 45th President of the United States, I want to remind you of a few things.

Nearly 53 million Americans live with a disability, and I am one of them. I was born with cerebral palsy, a disability which makes my hamstrings tight and causes me to walk with a slight limp. Growing up with CP was challenging, as I was always the last kid to get picked for sports teams and found that making friends was even more of a challenge.

You will now be our President, and we are counting on you to enact policies that benefit those with disabilities. When people with disabilities and other challenges succeed, every American succeeds. In order to truly Make America Great Again, you must not forget about people who live with a disability. We deserve to be treated with the same amount of dignity and respect as everyone else, and will not tolerate being mocked and made fun of.

I want to end this letter by again encouraging you to spend a day with someone who lives with a disability. You might just learn a thing or two about grit, determination, and courage. I’ll even let you spend the day with me, if you want. I’d be happy to show you what it’s like living with cerebral palsy.

Sincerely,

Brooks Fitts