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Hillary Clinton understands the importance of the ADA

By Staff | Oct 2, 2016

Great strides have been made to ensure equal opportunities for Americans with disabilities who represent 19 percent of the U.S population. For 40 years, I fought for and with people with disabilities and their families in this struggle to gain equal rights. I witnessed great progress over the past 40-plus years, but there is still much to be done to achieve full inclusion, a cornerstone principle of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Hillary Clinton not only understands the need and importance of the disabilities rights movement but has been part of it. I was personally moved by the video shown at the Democratic convention showing Secretary Clinton with several parents and children in Flint, Mich. You could see not only her heartfelt empathy for those families, but her knowledge and understanding when she took time to notice and point out to a mother a subtle strength her child displayed. The child was born with an intellectual disability due to the lead contaminated water in Flint.

Her commitment to children with disabilities has been of longstanding. Secretary Clinton’s first job out of law school was with the Children’s Defense Fund, investigating and then finding in New Bedford, Mass., that schools would not accept children with disabilities. The evidence she gathered helped to build the case for the 1975 passage of the law that affords children with disabilities the same right to a free public education as all children.

As secretary of state, she led the effort to secure the United States’ inclusion in the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The measure was ultimately blocked by a Republican-
controlled Senate. For many people, that would mean the end of the discussion, but Hillary isn’t one to give up, promising to push for its ratification as president.

In sharp contrast, Donald Trump has disrespected and mocked those with disabilities to get a cheap laugh and make himself look better. He showed us his true colors when he mocked Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Serge Kovaleski’s disability during a campaign rally. It’s unfathomable that someone seeking our nation’s highest post would behave in such a contemptible way.

Hillary Clinton’s values and vision as well as proposals couldn’t be more different. After listening to her plans to build an inclusive economy that welcomes people with disabilities, values their work, rewards them fairly and treats them with respect, there is no question in my mind that she will continue to champion the rights of the disabled as president.

Hillary knows we can’t afford to leave anyone on the sidelines, including the 60 percent of adults with disabilities who continue to be left out of the workforce in today’s economy.

Hillary Clinton knows how important it is to not only ensure that every working-age adult with a disability who wants to work has an opportunity to find a job. As president, Clinton will enforce laws and executive orders that afford people with disabilities access to real employment opportunities.

Hillary’s plan recognizes that we must eliminate the subminimum wage and extend a fair wage to workers with disabilities. She also sees how important it is to work with businesses and other stakeholders to ensure that those Americans who are living with disabilities are able to get hired and stay hired.

Donald Trump’s "economic plan" overlooks these critical issues. Sadly, I have no doubt if he is elected we will not only lose the progress we have gained, but revert back to the reprehensible times of years past. Given what we know, do you see his Justice Department, his Health and Human Services or Education secretaries prioritizing the needs of people with disabilities?

On a fiscal level, given the tax cuts Trump proposes, the increase in military spending he wants, the "wall" and so many other things, either he will substantially increase the country’s debt or cut funding from key programs children and adults with disabilities and their families need for basic care as well as to help obtain equal educational and employment opportunities.

Every person has the right and the capacity to contribute to the American economy. Hillary recognizes that, and her policies will provide the necessary framework to realize those contributions. I know of no other president or presidential nominee at least in my lifetime (and beyond) who is better equipped with the commitment, knowledge, and values to lead the cause of protecting and advancing the rights of Americans with disabilities than Hillary Rodham Clinton. I know no one worse than her opponent.

Cohen is the former executive director of the Disability Rights Center-NH.

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