Disability Justice

Disability rights are human rights.

More than 1 in 4 Americans have a disability. I am one of them. Our laws and regulations meant to protect people with disabilities are weakly enforced and chronically underfunded, and commercial and government systems are built without accounting for the needs of people with various disabilities. That has to change.

Strengthening Core Federal Programs

Federal programs that support people with disabilities need real, sustained investment. I will fight to:

• Expand home and community-based services so that people who need care can receive it in their own homes and communities rather than being forced into institutional settings. 

• Fully fund and expand Money Follows the Person, which helps people transition out of institutions and into community living. 

• Increase funding for the Office of Special Education Programs so schools can meet the needs of every student.

• Substantially increase federal ADA funding and enforcement.

Opposing Institutionalization and Coercive Practices

I oppose any return to institutionalization. The push to cordon off people with disabilities, whether in large facilities or through carceral mental health systems, is a rollback of decades of progress won by disability rights advocates.

I will work to end seclusion and restraint programs in schools, which cause lasting harm to children and are disproportionately used against students with disabilities. I will also fight to end coercive mental health practices and replace them with voluntary, community-based care that treats people as partners in their treatment rather than as problems to be managed.

Ending Subminimum Wage

Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage. The law dates to 1938 and is based on an assumption that disabled workers are worth less than everyone else. It is past time to end it. I will support federal legislation, such as the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, to phase out 14(c) certificates, fund the transition to competitive integrated employment, and guarantee that workers with disabilities receive at least the full federal minimum wage for their work. Evidence from states that have already ended subminimum wage shows that disabled workers are not pushed out of the workforce when they are paid fairly. They are simply paid what they are owed.

Fulfilling International Commitments

I support the United States signing on to the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The CRPD has been ratified by most of the world and our continued absence from it weakens both the rights of Americans with disabilities and our credibility as a leader for human rights around the world.

Prioritizing Accessible Infrastructure and Transportation

I will work to improve our transportation infrastructure to increase capacity, connectivity, and ADA compliance. Public transit is a lifeline for many people with disabilities, and it too often falls short on reliability, physical accessibility, and hours of operation.

Specifically, I will push for federal funding to states and cities to:

• Expand staffing and funding for transit systems, with funding for training on the needs of riders with disabilities. 

• Extend service hours to accommodate people with unconventional work schedules, including overnight and weekend shifts. 

• Hold transit agencies and contractors accountable for meeting ADA standards, creating and enforcing fines and penalties for non-compliance. 

Accessibility as Partnership

Expanding federal funding for accessibility has to come with a requirement that the people most affected are partners in how that funding is used. Too often, accessibility decisions get made without the input of disabled people. Businesses and local governments that are required to meet accessibility standards should be supported in doing so, and the communities those standards exist to serve should have a meaningful seat at the table.

Staying Accountable

I will maintain ongoing open forums, both virtual and in person, so that anyone can bring forward issues affecting people with disabilities and be heard directly. Accessibility in government means more than just providing ramps and captions. The people affected by these policy decisions must be able to actively participate in shaping them.