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NCIL
In an effort to inform our members of presidential candidates’ policy priorities with regard to the Disability Rights Movement, NCIL, ADAPT, The American Association of People with Disabilities and SABE (Self Advocates Becoming Empowered) have created questions that address the issues most important to our members. We asked candidates to respond to these questions with the intent of sharing candidates’ answers with the entire disability community. Last issue, we published excerpts of the responses we received from Obama, Clinton, Richardson, and Edwards. Since that time, we have received a response from Chris Dodd, leaving only three Democrats officially running who have not yet responded, including Senator Joe Biden, Representative Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel. We have thus far received no response from republican candidates! You can read the candidate responses in full at www.ncil.org in the VOTE 2008 section. Responses received after the printing of this article will be featured in a future edition of Independence Today and will be available on the NCIL website as soon as they are received. Tell the Presidential Candidates Disability Rights Matter! Contact the Presidential candidates’ campaigns. Tell them that knowing where the candidates stand on disability rights is important to you. Ask them to have the candidates respond to the ADAPT / AAPD / NCIL / SABE questionnaire sent to them earlier this year and to send responses electronically to Anne Sommers at aapdanne@earthlink.net. If they say they have not yet received any of the information you reference, offer to provide them with a copy of the cover letter and the questions, and be prepared to fax, email, or mail it to them. You can find a list of candidates, the cover letter, and the list of questions at: www.ncil.org/VOTE2008. How would you ensure that students with disabilities are included within and accommodated as part of the accountability measures of No Child Left Behind? Dodd: As President, I would vehemently oppose any efforts to remove students with disabilities from the NCLB accountability system or to weaken their participation in it. …A Dodd Administration will also commit to, and invest in, a national effort to ensure that curriculum objectives, materials, teaching methods and classroom assessments are universally designed. What ideas do you have for strengthening federal enforcement of IDEA? Dodd: Recently, the National Council on Disability (NCD) found that every State in America was out of compliance with IDEA requirements to some degree. They found that the Department of Education made limited use of its authority to impose available sanctions — withholding of funds and making referrals to the Department of Justice — and a system where parents with limited resources were unable to challenge violations of their children’s rights when they occurred. As President, I would rectify this by first advancing a more aggressive approach to enforcement. I would do this by instructing the Department to establish clear, objective, and publicly available criteria for applying sanctions, funding and directing an immediate review of compliance across the states, and ensuring that sanctions are then fully applied. In regards to parents’ ability to challenge IDEA violations, I was a strong supporter of the Supreme Court’s decision in Winkelman v. Parma City School District and was among a handful of Senators to file an amicus brief with the court in favor of a parent’s authority to bring pro se claims under IDEA. The recent ruling in favor of parents will help to ensure that those of limited resources have a fighting chance in court. A Dodd Administration will work to ensure that children with disabilities are no longer denied their civil rights. How will you assure the vigorous implementation of all Fair Housing Laws? Dodd: …we must fully fund all HUD programs and offices that are involved with Fair Housing implementation. We also must draw on community support and participation. The people who actually need access to fair housing opportunities are the best people to ask whether these opportunities are available and any problems they are encountering. We must educate the public about their rights and set up mechanisms such as hotlines so that any discrimination that occurs can be reported and eradicated immediately. What steps would you take as President to ensure that voters with disabilities are able to vote privately and independently, consistent with the requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)? Dodd: As the primary author of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) I worked to ensure that historic new voting protections for persons with disabilities were included in the final legislation. …Clearly we must do more to strengthen each American’s right to vote and have their vote counted. That’s why I introduced the VOTER Act, to build upon HAVA’s reforms while preserving critical access guaranteed by HAVA… [that] is why I am cosponsoring new legislation to provide for a voter-verified paper ballot record while preserving full access for persons with disabilities — legislation which also authorizes new federal funding for research into innovative new electronic accessibility technologies. In a Dodd Administration, I’ll continue to fight to protect and strengthen the voting rights of persons with disabilities. Of the existing members of the U.S. Supreme Court, which justices do you consider models for the kinds of federal judges you would appoint if elected president? Dodd: I especially respect Justice Ginsburg for her majority opinion in the historic Olmstead v. L.C. decision, finding that segregating people with disabilities in institutions may amount to discrimination. This decision opened the door for people with disabilities to receive community-based services rather than automatic institutionalization, and represents an important decision making process on behalf Justice Ginsburg that I think should be repeatedly used. Pros: Senator Dodd has strong credentials and a firm grasp of community-based services, universal design, and enforcement of anti-discrimination laws as valid priorities of the disability community, which he clearly understands as a civil rights movement. Dodd joins Clinton and Obama as a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act, and is the only Presidential Candidate to sign onto the CLASS Act. Cons: Senator Dodd has not yet signed onto the ADA Restoration Act or Promoting Wellness for People with Disabilities. His answers were some of the most relevant and well-informed that we received, but his voting record on disability issues in the coming year will cement his reputation as either a friend of our community or a true leader on disability rights. |
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