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| AAPD, ADAPT, NCIL, SABE 2008 Candidate Questionnaire Responses |
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| Saturday, 09 June 2007 | |
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June 1, 2007
Yes.
Individuals with disabilities are an essential part of communities throughout this country, and I believe that receiving input from persons with disabilities is of utmost importance for government leaders. I am committed to ensuring that more job opportunities are provided to individuals with disabilities and that includes hiring people with disabilities on my campaign staff and, if elected, as part of my Administration.
The barriers that workers with disabilities face in the labor market and workplace are complicated, interrelated, and stubborn. It will take strong leadership from a President dedicated to increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities in order to define our goals, marshal the necessary resources, bridge bureaucratic and programmatic boundaries, and lead employers, service providers, and people with disabilities into the future.
I recently met a 22 year-old woman with disabilities in New Hampshire. She spoke about her disabilities that have greatly affected her life, with symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis. Her requests were simple – she wanted to work and do those things that people with healthy bodies often take for granted. I am committed to making sure that those simple requests are honored. My goal is to increase the employment rate among workers with disabilities so that it is as close as possible to the employment rate for all American workers. Achieving this goal will require several steps.
First, we must recognize that with proper support, people with disabilities are strong contributors to society. All Americans, regardless of disability, deserve a dignified life, and there are many government programs that are essential to this commitment. I am a strong supporter of the 1965 Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act, which facilitates government purchase of products made by blind and severely disabled Americans. I have worked closely with the Chicago Lighthouse (a nonprofit serving the blind that manufactures office products) to strengthen this legislation. And I have called on the Government Accountability Office to investigate the federal government’s compliance with the Act’s mandates.
Second, we must increase educational opportunities for the disabled. What you learn plays an important role in what you earn and whether you are employed. Yet students with disabilities are more likely to drop out of high school and, even if they finish high school, are less likely to pursue four-year college degrees. We must fund IDEA and increase the emphasis in secondary schools on students’ transition planning for college. And we must provide the necessary funding for Vocational Rehabilitation and Pell Grants to support students with disabilities seeking college degrees.
Third, we must solve our health care crisis. One of the most important barriers to workers with disabilities seeking and keeping jobs is the uncertainty associated with the employer-based health insurance system. For adults with disabilities, no health insurance can mean irrevocable physical and mental health deterioration because they need regular care and supervision of their conditions by doctors and specialists. Without health insurance, they must pay for these services out of pocket and, as a result, might forego or delay the medical care they need. Yet 45 million Americans currently have no health insurance. A smaller percentage of workers currently have employer-provided health insurance than had it in 1987. A smaller percentage of employers provide health insurance. And the costs of health insurance to workers have risen. Assuring that people with disabilities can have jobs with health insurance will be a critical step to increasing their opportunities to find employment. That is why I am committed to signing a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office and having a plan that will lower premium costs for a typical family by $2,500.
Fourth, we must strengthen our civil rights laws to protect disabled Americans from employment discrimination. I am committed to funding and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as strengthening other legislation to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in the workplace.
Finally, I will direct my administration to increase the employment of workers with disabilities during my first term. I will also use the authority provided to the President, as well as my bully pulpit, to encourage private-sector employers to increase their hiring of workers with disabilities. Among other things, private-sector employers should be encouraged to increase their use of existing tax benefits like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to hire more workers with disabilities.
In addition to increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities to match, as close as possible, the employment rate among all workers, I believe firmly that we must assure that people with disabilities who cannot support themselves through work have adequate income and health insurance to sustain dignified lives. Any reform of the SSDI and SSI programs must satisfy both of these goals.
First, delays in benefit determinations must be drastically reduced. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has been consistently underfunded, resulting in unconscionable delays for individuals applying for the Social Security Supplement Security Income (SSI) program. I am committed to both increasing SSI administrative funding and streamlining the current application and appeals procedures to reduce the confusion that surrounds this important program.
Second, we must assure that beneficiaries who are willing to seek employment and leave the SSDI or SSI rolls have access to affordable, reliable health insurance coverage. Again, lack of reliable and comprehensive health insurance is one of the reasons people with disabilities who might work seek benefits from SSDI and SSI and do not leave the rolls. My health care plan provides access to good quality health insurance for all.
Third, by amending the ADA and otherwise pushing employers to provide accommodations to their employees with disabilities, we can decrease the number of workers who leave the labor market after experiencing an impairment. We can prevent workers seeking SSDI by endeavoring to find ways to keep them in their workplaces.
Fourth, we must revisit the Ticket to Work Act to assess whether it has succeeded in providing SSDI beneficiaries with the supports they need to transition into work.
Finally, I am eager to find strategies that will help young people transition from school to work rather than from school to SSI. Full funding of IDEA will help with this process, but there is more we can do.
I believe that qualified workers with disabilities should have the same opportunities as other workers. I am committed to funding and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as strengthening other legislation to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in the workplace.
I also believe that the federal government should be a model employer of workers with disabilities. I will direct all of my department and agency heads to bring their agencies into full compliance with all aspects of the Rehabilitation Act. To assure that the federal government holds itself to high anti-discrimination standards, I will increase funding to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and assure that the person I appoint to Chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is committed to enforcing anti-discrimination laws that protect federal employees through a strong Office of Federal Operations. Perhaps most important, I will provide leadership to my appointees throughout the executive branch so that they, employers in the private sector, and workers with disabilities across the country will understand the importance of this issue.
As president, I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office. I will modernize the U.S. health care system to improve quality and reduce costs by $2,500 for a typical family. And I will increase investment in public health to prepare and protect Americans against emerging health threats and to reduce rates of preventable diseases.
My plan will cover the uninsured and lower costs to families and businesses. I will allow people who do not have access to group coverage through their employers or public programs (such as Medicaid, SCHIP, and Medicare) to buy into a national pool, which will offer a new public plan similar to the one I have as a member of Congress, and private plans that offer comprehensive benefits and meet quality standards. Federal subsidies will be made available to those who need it, to make coverage more affordable. And employers will have access to reinsurance to protect them from volatile and high increases in the cost of insurance. Finally, my plan will mandate health insurance coverage for every child in America.
My health care reform plan recognizes that although all Americans are affected by problems with our health care delivery system, certain patient populations are significantly more likely to experience difficulties gaining access to health care and to receive lower quality health care. I will require that all health care providers collect, analyze and report data on the quality of health care given to vulnerable populations, including those with disabilities, to ensure appropriate care and good health outcomes. My plan also emphasizes care coordination and integration, which is particularly important for individuals with disabilities who often have multiple providers. Last but not least, I will support additional training of health care workers so that they are better able to address the needs of disabled populations.
Important medical decisions should be made between patients and doctors, and my health care reform plan will ensure that insurers do not prevent disabled Americans from getting the care they need. My plan will constrain costs and adopt those managed care principles that work, such as the use of modern health information technology, disease management, care coordination and drug price negotiation, to achieve health care quality improvement and savings in the system that can directly benefit individuals and families through lower premiums. My plan will not contain costs at the expense of quality of care. To the contrary, my plan will both reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care.
I believe we need to care for our veterans with disabilities with the same commitment they demonstrated on the battle field. I am committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will not be under-funded like the current VA. I will establish an independent team to accurately estimate the future needs and costs associated with our returning service members and their families – so we'll never have to stomach another budgeting process that cuts costs on the backs of veterans.
This VA will be built around the principle that any service-connected injury – whether to the body, to the mind, to the service member or to the family member – represents a call to respond from our nation. It will not attempt to treat an eye injury, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a second-tier wound. Our review systems and dollar investments in this new VA would be geared in favor of the service member. I will ensure that any returning service member has the necessary job training and education opportunities when they get ready to begin the next chapter of their lives. In Illinois, I worked with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to force the VA to notify veterans in Illinois and other states traditionally underserved about their right to seek a review of their past claims. The resulting outreach led to significant numbers of Illinois veterans getting the benefits they deserve.
How would you improve the quality of health and rehabilitation services provided to Native Americans with disabilities? Do you support the reauthorization of the Indian Healthcare Act?Yes, I strongly support reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. I am an original cosponsor of the bill, which is expected to pass the Senate this year.
I am committed to ensuring that Americans with disabilities receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. I have worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that Medicare recipients are protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents. I also support efforts to improve coordination between Medicaid and Medicare so that individuals with disabilities who are enrolled in both programs do not face additional administrative barriers when seeking prescription drug benefits.
We must also reduce inefficient federal spending on the Medicare Part D benefit to invest more money into improving our national health care system. Drug spending has quintupled over the last five years and now costs us almost $200 billion. We need to reduce drug spending by enabling the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices, clear barriers to generic competition, allowing the safe importation of drugs, and giving consumers the information to make smart purchasing decisions.
I support amending the Medicare “homebound” rule so that those with severe disabilities have the freedom to leave their homes without fear of having their government benefits taken away. I believe that our Medicare policy must reflect the common sense notion that community engagement and support is a vital component of a meaningful life. I look forward to amending the law to remove arbitrary measures of “acceptable” time away from home and further ensure that individuals do not have benefits removed unfairly.
Yes. I championed similar legislation in the state of Illinois and I have cosponsored S. 558.
I believe the federal government must take a larger role in transitioning our long-term care system from institutions to home and community-based settings. I support efforts to improve federal funding and administrative support to states and the private sector to accomplish the goal of providing quality long-term care in home and community settings to all Americans who need such services.
I have also worked to ensure that states and cities have adequate plans in place to care for special-needs populations. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, my legislation to require that states properly plan to evacuate special needs individuals during times of crisis passed Congress. I believe that this is only the first step in ensuring that the most vulnerable individuals in local and national emergencies are adequately safeguarded.
I have sponsored legislation to provide a traumatic injury protection rider to servicemembers insured under the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program. I sponsored legislation in Illinois requiring an emergency evacuation plan for every high-rise structure for the safe and timely evacuation of people with disabilities.
Too many Medicare and Medicaid “dual eligibles” are subject to time-consuming and complicated administrative processes that delay access to care and can result in lower quality care. This administrative problem is compounded by the increased health needs of the dual eligibles population. Although CMS has taken steps to alleviate these problems, I believe more should be done. I support streamlining the benefits process for individuals with disabilities so that people receive the care they require in a timely manner. Both programs should give individuals with disabilities more information about the care they are entitled to receive under both programs, so decisions about care can be made in a unified manner. I also believe that the demonstration projects that the Community Choice Act of 2007 seeks to create to improve coordination between benefits received by dual Medicaid and Medicare recipients are an important step to undertake in addressing this problem.
In too many communities, low-income families are priced out of the housing market. Between 1993 and 2003, the number of units affordable to low-income households fell by 1.2 million. As president, I will create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods. The Fund will use a small percentage of the profits of two government-sponsored housing agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to create up to 14,000 new units of affordable housing every year.
A family’s most important investment is their home. However, there is a growing epidemic of mortgage fraud crimes in which sophisticated scam artists use elaborate scams to cheat homeowners out of their mortgages. I introduced legislation that would increase funding for federal law enforcement programs, create new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and require industry insiders to report suspicious activity. In the Illinois state legislature, I cosponsored a bill creating the High Risk Home Loan Act to protect borrowers who enter into high risk home loans. As president, I will fight to ensure more Americans can achieve and protect the dream of home ownership. I also support increasing federal support for affordable rental housing, and recently called for a new Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build up to 14,000 additional units each year for lower-income individuals in mixed-income neighborhoods.
In the Illinois Senate, I was also the chief cosponsor of a bill including disabled persons within the provisions granting an assessment freeze homestead exception to senior citizens.
As a former civil rights lawyer, I understand firsthand the importance of ensuring that all Americans have the same opportunities and rights. Unfortunately, as we know all too well, even with strong constitutional and federal mandates to provide equal opportunity, too many individuals have their civil rights infringed. I believe that we must ensure that the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity within the Department of Housing and Urban Development is adequately funded and staffed so that the Office is able to fully investigate all meaningful discrimination claims made by individuals with disabilities.
I support building on President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative to improve the supply of affordable housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. First, I believe that housing assistance should ensure that individuals with disabilities have a greater choice as to where and how they can use their housing benefits. Second, I support efforts, such as the Community Choice Act of 2007, to improve the federal funding under the Medicaid program for individuals to live in home or community-based settings. I also support examining additional approaches to incentivize states to increase the supply of affordable, safe and quality housing for individuals with disabilities.
Congress must enact pending transportation reauthorization legislation without further delay and make provisions for accessible options for individuals with disabilities. This includes highway, mass transit, commuter rail, and air transportation improvements.
The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is the right one – ensuring that all children can meet high standards – but the law has significant flaws that need to be addressed. Unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Department of Education, and shortcomings in the design of the law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut its support among many people who care deeply about our schools and our students. I would reform and fund No Child Left Behind and add specific provisions for programs for students with disabilities. This includes early and targeted instruction and hiring highly qualified general and special education teachers. States, school districts and schools must continue to measure and report the academic performance of students with disabilities. This is why I fully support the IDEA Act.
This is one of my top educational priorities. I will fight to increase federal funding levels, and actively solicit the support of both Republicans and Democrats that are watching efforts at school improvement falter as school districts layoff teachers and much needed programs. The federal government is supposed to shoulder 40 percent of each state’s “excess cost” of educating children with disabilities, but currently we are less than halfway there (17 percent) because Congress has never lived up to this obligation. Children are the ones who are being shortchanged. Schools should not be forced to choose between salaries for effective teachers and special education for students who need that support. Fully funding IDEA will help to relieve that burden by supplying the necessary dollars to boost the quality and range of the services available.
I have consistently supported legislation that would increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act. In 2005, I supported legislation that would provide $4 billion in additional funding for IDEA. I also voted for waiving the Budget Act to consider the Byrd amendment, which would provide $5 billion for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. In 2005, I voted for creating a reserve fund that would provide $71.3 billion for special education programs under IDEA. I will work to increase that a meaningful portion of the funding increases for IDEA are targeted to enforcement of the Act’s mandates.
The success of IDEA depends upon parents, children, and school officials working closely together to shape an appropriate individual education plan (IEP). This should be a cooperative effort. But in order to ensure that school districts invest sufficient attention and resources in this effort, parents must have the ability to bring legal action to enforce their rights and their children’s rights. I strongly supported the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Winkelman v. Parma (Ohio) City School District which acknowledged parents’ authority to bring pro se claims under IDEA.
Requirements determining graduation rates should include adequate yearly progress reports, but these must be enhanced in order to produce substantial and consistent improvement in graduation rates for students served by IDEA.
In order to make college more accessible and affordable for students, I will increase federal college loans and free up money for student aid. The first bill I introduced in the U.S. Senate would help make college more affordable for many Americans. The bill would increase the maximum Pell Grant from the current limit of $4,050 to a new maximum of $5,100. In February 2007, Congress passed and President Bush signed into law legislation to increase federal Pell grants to $4,310. I also want to reform college loans to make more money available for student aid. There are two federal college loan programs. The first allows students to borrow directly from the government, and the second gives private banks federal subsidies to make government-backed student loans. Privately funded loans are much more expensive to the federal government, which is why I support legislation to shift more loans to the Direct Loan program and use the savings to invest in grant aid to students.
I support the creation of high-paying, secure jobs. I believe we need to increase federal funding for basic research, expand the deployment of broadband technology, and make the research and development tax credit permanent so that businesses can invest in innovation and create more and better jobs for students transitioning from school to employment.
Effective enforcement of these laws will begin with the next President communicating his strong support for the goals and spirit of these laws to the leadership of the executive branch departments and agencies, including the President’s appointees to the Federal Communications Commission, and to federal employees with disabilities. That is where I will begin.
I believe that the federal government should be a model employer of workers with disabilities. I will direct my department and agency heads to bring their organizations into full compliance with Section 508. And I will establish a management system through the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to assure that they comply and have the necessary resources to comply.
But equally important, the federal government should be innovative in using technology both to enable a significant increase in the number of workers with disabilities hired by the federal government and the productivity of incumbent federal employees. The Defense Department’s Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program is a model in this regard.
I will also appoint FCC Commissioners who share my commitment to enforcing Section 255 and other laws that make technology accessible to all people with disabilities. The FCC should be engaged in a continuing dialogue with manufacturers, including enforcement actions where necessary, to assure that they incorporate universal design principles into all telecommunications products. To the extent feasible, existing technologies should also be made accessible to people with disabilities.
Yes. Assistive technologies are an essential component of strategies for increasing workers with disabilities’ employment rate and making independent living possible for people with disabilities. State Assistive Technology Programs, National Technical Assistance, the National Internet Site, and the Protection and Advocacy Assistive Technology program are important efforts to increase knowledge about assistive technologies and make these technologies readily available. Full funding is needed to assure that a wide variety of services are provided through these programs, including training and technical assistance, information and referral services, activities to promote coordination and collaboration at the state level, cooperative or bulk buying programs, assisting people with disabilities who can’t afford to take a loan with funding, and providing help with finding and leveraging other funding sources for assistive technologies. For this reason, I support full funding.
Americans with disabilities would be amongst the most disenfranchised by recent efforts to require mandatory photo ID at polling places. More than 3 million Americans with disabilities lack a government-issued form of identification. I opposed unreasonable voter identification requirements and believe that the constitutional rights of individuals with disabilities should be safeguarded. I also support fully funding HAVA so that we can ensure that all of its provisions are properly implemented.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.
Yes.
As a former civil rights lawyer, I know firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. I am committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. I believe we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation.
In addition, I will appoint judges and justices who respect Congress’ role as a co-equal, democratically elected branch of government. The Supreme Court’s interpretations of the ADA have shown disrespect for Congress’ intent and frustrated the law’s goals of fully integrating people with disabilities into society. The ADA declared that people with disabilities are welcome throughout American society. They should not be restricted to disabilities ghettoes like “mental institutions.” The ADA assumed, rather than doubted, that people with disabilities can be productive workers contributing to our economy and the support of their families. Perhaps most important, the ADA was a formal acknowledgment that people with disabilities are American citizens with the same rights as other Americans: a right to belong, a right to participate fully in the American experience, and a right to dignity and respect in the workplace and beyond. I do not believe that the Supreme Court should have blunted this essential message of liberty and inclusion. The judges and justices I appoint will not.
Do you support U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocal?
Yes. I believe that the rights of the estimated 650 million individuals with disabilities worldwide must be protected. I support the United States ratification of this important measure.
June 10, 2007
Yes. Since approximately 17-20% of Americans have a disability, I believe it is important to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are protected. In addition, I will only hire a person with a disability to fill this position to ensure that disability issues from a disability perspective are maintained.
How will you make sure qualified people with disabilities will be a part of your political team and, if elected, as part of your administration?
In addition to the steps I have outlined above, I would continue to challenge federal and state government agencies as well as private employers to employ people with disabilities. It is difficult to track employees with disabilities because of the confidentiality clauses regarding employment, but I would establish a method of determining how many people with disabilities are employed and challenge business to increase that number every year. Tax incentives will also be established to encourage private businesses to hire more people with disabilities.
Research shows that people with significant disabilities that hold college degrees are employed at about the same rate as their nondisabled peers. I would work on establishing student disability programs to encourage people with disabilities to further their education.
SSI and SSDI needs to be changed to eliminate work disincentives. As it stands now, many people with disabilities who participate in either of these programs do not work even part-time. My policies would encourage people with disabilities to work rather than punish them for doing so. Less than 1% of people on SSI or SSDI return to the workforce. Some of these people will never be able to work, but many of them can with a little help.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, between 1993 and 2004, federal workers with significant disabilities left the federal workforce at rate more than seven times the general reduction in the federal workforce during that period. What actions would you take to ensure that qualified workers with disabilities are given meaningful opportunities to participate in the federal workforce at all levels?
My plan for universal coverage would ensure that Americans—with or without disabilities—would have access to affordable, guaranteed coverage.
Sometimes managed care is the best way and sometimes not. Managed care organizations have brought many successful applications to health care and when applied effectively provide patients with coordinated care, case management, preventive health care and ensures that providers are well qualified. People, however, like choices and sometimes managed care eliminates the choice of a desired hospital or specialist due to a restricted network. My model for universal coverage preserves choice.
We have a large number of young men and women who have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injuries, lost limbs and behavioral health issues that need to be addressed. Our rehabilitation and health services will need to be increased to meet the demand. We need to add additional money into these services to ensure all our wounded veterans are well served in the communities in which they live and work. We need to enhance the current VA system to provide in home community services.
Coming from a state with a large Native American population (10%), issues that affect this community are of great interest to me. The lack of health care to Native Americans is a national disgrace. According to a recent Behavioral Risk Surveillance Survey, the disability rate of Native Americans on reservation land is 24%-26%. There is obviously a great need to address rehabilitation on Native lands and when Native Americans relocate. The Native Healthcare Act has not been reauthorized since it was passed in 1991. We need to adequately fund Indian Health Services. Again,universal coverage will guarantee access to affordable coverage regardless of where any American lives.
Programs will be established in each state to ensure that people with disabilities are made aware of all options available to them.
The "homebound rule" in Medicare is unfair to people with significant disabilities. The rule requires people to be homebound to receive certain services. This comes from the old medical model of disability. If a person is able, it is important for quality of life reasons for the individual to participate in society and not be penalized for stepping outside the home.
Absolutely. It's time for us to treat behavioral health issues the same as we treat other medical disorders. Mental health has been viewed as being less important than other medical conditions for far too long. I will push legislation to bring parity to health insurance for mental health.
"Dual eligibles" – those who are enrolled in both programs face more bureaucratic hassles than those on one program or the other. I believe that this population should be put into one program for all their needs. I believe Medicare would best serve this population and the system could be redesigned to provide the enhanced benefits that Medicaid provides.
I will support increasing the funding to HUD Section 811 for housing for people with disabilities. Nationwide, there is a shortage of affordable, available and accessible housing for people with disabilities. Adequate housing is something most Americans take for granted – the disability community cannot, not yet.
States will be held responsible for implementing all Fair Housing Laws. I will establish a workgroup to research what each state is doing about housing and if they are in compliance with Fair Housing Laws.
Stronger oversight of HUD is the only way to ensure that all states are being assisted with complying with the Olmstead decision.
In 2005 the National Council on Disability presented a report on transportation and disability to President Bush. I will work with the disability community and NCD to address the transportation shortages and problems throughout the U.S. using this document as a model.
No Child Left Behind has received a great deal of criticism from the disability community, particularly as it relates to children with cognitive disabilities. While most children with disabilities can take the standardized tests with accommodations, students with cognitive disabilities have often been left behind because they are required to take the same standardized tests as students without cognitive disabilities. I will establish a work group consisting of people with disabilities, parents and teachers to review No Child Left Behind to determine how we can best serve our children with disabilities.
Absolutely! The federal government has never fully funded IDEA and it's time we did. Under the 1975 IDEA, the federal government stated they would pay 40% of funding, it currently only pays about 20%. It's time we fulfill our promise.
Withhold federal funding for school districts that are out of compliance with IDEA.
There needs to be a great deal of work on this issue. Currently almost 50% of children with IEPs do not graduate. I will put together a team of people consisting of people with disabilities, parents and educators to study this problem and come up with best practices.
I will support increasing transition services not only in high school, but begin working on transition of children with disabilities in junior high school. We have too many students graduating from high school who transition to SSI rather than a job or higher education.
I would determine if all states have passed Section 508 and Section 255. I would then put together a research group to study each state to determine which states have the most successful programs and why.
Would you support restoration of full funding for the Technology-related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act programs?
In NM, I worked closely with the Office of the Secretary of State to ensure that all people had the same opportunity to vote. As part of the HAVA requirements, I had each of our 1,200 polling sites inspected for ADA accessibility. Many of the polling sites were not compliant and were sent ADA access audits informing them of exactly what they needed to do to become accessible. I also put together a HAVA accessibility work group consisting of the directors of disability agencies and the Office of the Secretary of State to research all voting machines to determine which ones were most accessible. Each polling site was required to have at least one accessible voting machine. I also supported the making of a video on disability awareness and responsibilities for all poll workers to view as part of their training. I sent the NM Governor's Commission Disability around the state talking to the disability community about the importance of voting.
Ginsberg and Breyer are my model justices. But I will consult members of the disability community to determine which Supreme Court Justices are supportive of the ADA and supporting the civil rights of people with disabilities. I would use this same group to provide input on appointing new Supreme Court Justices.
Yes. The ADA has been seriously weakened by Supreme Court decisions. I promise to support the ADA Restoration Act to ensure the civil rights of all people with disabilities.
Appointing the appropriate Supreme Court Justices will be an important step in the right direction. People with disabilities are entitled to the same civil rights as all Americans. I strongly support the civil rights of people with disabilities, not only because it's the right thing to do but because it's the only thing to do.
Do you support U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocal?
On March 30 of this year, the United Nations General Assembly met to ratify a set of principles ensuring that 650 million people with disabilities around the world had the same basic human rights as people without disabilities. There was only one nation absent from the assembly and refused to sign the document – the United States. This was not only shameful, but inexcusable. I promise to join the other nations in supporting human rights for people with disabilities around the world.
June 12, 2007
The federal government can and should do much more to help Americans with disabilities achieve independence, productivity, and inclusion. Too often, these issues are not even on the agenda in Washington. Policies affecting people with disabilities can only succeed if they are crafted with the help of people who understand firsthand the challenges Americans with disabilities and their families face. As president, I will ensure that a senior member of the White House staff is dedicated to ensuring that these issues are brought to my personal attention and given the top priority they deserve.
To be effective, a presidential administration must include a diversity of perspectives. I am already working to ensure the perspectives of people with disabilities are included in my campaign by assembling a group of policy advisors, including people with disabilities, issue experts and advocates. If elected, I would appoint qualified people with disabilities to important jobs throughout my administration, not only jobs that are focused on disability policy. For me this is not just a matter of fairness: it is about having the best possible Administration, which means including a great diversity of perspectives and backgrounds.
I would also make the federal government a model of diversity for the private workplace. Federal agencies should actively recruit qualified people with disabilities and remove the obstacles for working Americans with disabilities, such as supporting initiatives for telecommuting and flexible work schedules.
The president must hear the needs and concerns of the 56 million people in America who have disabilities. The issues that people with disabilities are fighting for, like protecting civil rights, better education, good jobs and health care, will only make America stronger in the future. I am committed to maintaining open lines of communication with Americans with disabilities.
Work is central to our lives, not only for economic independence but also to give our lives dignity and meaning. However, two out of three working-age Americans with disabilities are out of work today. Excluding anyone from mainstream American life is morally unacceptable. It also needlessly wastes great potential. Reducing barriers can create tremendous economic opportunity for our country.
One of the goals I have set for America is lifting 12 million Americans out of poverty in a decade and eliminating poverty in America over the next 30 years. It is something we must do to restore our moral authority in the world. Restoring our moral authority means leading by example and making clear that hard challenges don't frighten us, but call us to action.
In America, every person should have the chance to live up to his or her potential at work and in our communities. We cannot achieve that goal without addressing the barriers that confront Americans with disabilities when they seek to work. Too often, people with disabilities are denied that opportunity because unfair obstacles get in their way. I believe we must break down these barriers, and I have a comprehensive agenda to give every American equal opportunity.
First, we must concentrate on young people with disabilities who have higher dropout rates and lower college enrollment rates, making future employment more difficult. We must remove barriers to education. Those who do graduate have more difficulty finding a first job and getting their careers on track. Education must be accessible in elementary and secondary schools and in vocational schools, community colleges, universities, and graduate programs. I will ensure that the Department of Education strictly enforces the law and brings together experts to address means to eliminate these barriers.
We lose far too many Americans with disabilities in the transition from school to either the workplace or higher education. My Breaking Down Barriers initiative will give young people meaningful job experiences and create a sense of the possibilities of their future. It will provide them valuable skills and contacts for finding a job after graduation, helping them on the path towards success and self-sufficiency. I support vocational rehabilitation programs and the expansion of employment-based settings for federally-funded job education.
Second, we must extend the possibility of independent living. For people with disabilities, living within their own communities is essential to job opportunities. Work from home opportunities exist in greater quantity and quality when a person with a disability has family and home resources to utilize each day. Full oversight of state implementation of the Olmstead requirements will be a core objective in my administration. I will also create 1 million new Section 8 housing choice vouchers and support ongoing funding of existing vouchers, creating greater housing opportunities for people with disabilities. A portion of these vouchers will serve low-income people with disabilities. To ensure accessibility, I will instruct the Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine whether local housing authorities are complying with requirements to provide a list of accessible units; regular publication of these lists is the only meaningful way to demonstrate compliance.
Third, the federal government has an important role in ensuring access to transportation. Accessible transportation is a critical component of increased work opportunities for people with disabilities. Funding and enforcement of transportation access requirements will be central to the mission of the Department of Transportation.
Fourth, we owe a special debt to veterans with disabilities. I would restore vocational training programs for disabled and occupationally challenged veterans. The Bush administration terminated the well-regarded program at the Department of Labor that offered skill training and job placement for disabled veterans. I would renew the program to help meet the post-Iraq needs of large numbers of military personnel returning from active duty, as well as older generations of veterans.
Fifth, to fight stereotypes and misconceptions, my Administration will work with national business leaders to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Employers who have a positive experience will be likely be more willing to hire someone with a disability in the future.
Finally, we must vigorously enforce the law. I am committed to protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities. Full enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act is critical to continued job opportunities for people with disabilities. We should be sure that federal agencies are ensuring compliance by federal contractors, going beyond the current minimalist approach described by a recent report of the National Council on Disabilities. The Civil Rights Division and Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Justice will become more involved in the enforcement of the ADA and especially the Olmstead decision. Open communication with the disabilities community will be essential to the mission of the Justice Department in enforcing these federal protections for the disabilities community in both the public and private workplaces. As president, I would nominate judges who are committed to protecting the rights of all Americans. While I served in the Senate, I was proud to vote against the judicial nomination of Jeffrey Sutton, who argued that federal protections of the ADA were not needed.
Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Income should not be an all-ornothing proposition for people with disabilities. SSDI asset requirements should permit beneficiaries to accumulate more assets without losing all benefits. I also believe we can provide incentives for SSDI recipients to earn reasonable income without losing Medicare and all supplemental income benefits. By doing so, we can promote economic opportunities for people with disabilities as well as strengthen the Social Security system.
While we are eliminating disincentives for people with disabilities to accumulate assets, we also ought to help them actually build assets. For example, there is a lot we can do to expand home ownership within the disability community. People with disabilities should be able to buy a house and get loans to make universal design accommodations and other equity-building home improvements. I will also create a strong, national law banning predatory lending practices, which are targeted to vulnerable homeowners and result in equity-stripping and often foreclosure.
The disappointing trend of people with disabilities leaving the federal workforce has not happened by accident. The percentage of federal employees with targeted disabilities – which are blindness, deafness, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, mental illness, mental retardation, convulsive disorders, and distortion of limbs or spine – did not increase at all from 1984 to 2005. I am committed to realizing the goal of Executive Order 13163: 100,000 qualified individuals with disabilities in the federal workforce.
Americans with disabilities still face too many obstacles and discrimination in the workplace. I will make federal agencies a model for private workplaces by actively recruiting people with disabilities and removing obstacles, including creating initiatives for telecommuting and flexible work schedules.
As president, I will fully enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Architectural Barriers Act, and all other civil rights laws supporting access to employment for people with disabilities. The White House and the Department of Justice will work with the disabilities community to increase access to employment opportunities and identify and end workplace discrimination against people with disabilities in the federal government.
I will reach out to appoint people with disabilities to high-ranking government positions. Visible integration of people with disabilities into the highest ranks of federal employees will send the right message of diversity and inclusiveness.
I will also expand health care coverage for assistive technology and health care access for federal employees with disabilities.
I understand that health care is of special concern to people with disabilities. Not only do they have particularly important needs, but their independence often depends on good health care.
We must act now to guarantee universal health care coverage for everyone in America. I am proud to be the first major presidential candidate to propose a specific plan to transform America's health care system and guarantee quality affordable health care for every man, woman and child in America. Under my plan, businesses will either cover their employees or help pay their premiums. The government will make insurance affordable through new tax credits and by leading the way toward more cost-effective care. New “Health Care Markets” will give families and businesses purchasing power and a choice of quality plans, including one public plan based on Medicare. Finally, once these steps have been taken, all American residents will be required to take responsibility and get insurance. Insurance companies will not be allowed to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions or disabilities.
Under my plan, families without insurance will get coverage at an affordable price. Families that have insurance today will pay less and get more security and choices. Businesses and other employers will find it cheaper and easier to insure their workers.
Beyond guaranteeing coverage, there is much that we can do to ensure that people with disabilities receive quality care. Medical training and education should help primary care physicians, dentists and allied health practitioners to work with adults with disabilities. Currently, federal funding for training physicians to treat patients with disabilities is focused on pediatric practitioners, but most people with disabilities are adults. Under my plan, we will establish a non-profit or public organization – possibly within the Institute of Medicine – to research the best methods of providing care, drawing upon data from Medicare and the new Health Care Markets and from medical experts from across the nation. Understanding and disseminating best practices for treating patients with disabilities will be an essential part of this initiative.
Managed care has shown some success in managing the health needs to people with chronic health conditions and it should be a choice for people with disabilities. However, people with disabilities need access to specialists and care that is not artificially limited by narrow definitions of medical necessity.
There are also other ways to integrate care across multiple settings. I have called for investments in information technology and other initiatives to ensure that individuals with disabilities do not fall victim to the fragmentation of care. Something is wrong, for example, when the quirks of disparate payment systems – Medicaid reimbursing for institutional care, while Medicare pays for doctors – prevent health care providers from sharing information that could help patients.
The VA has already seen over 200,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. We must do everything we can to properly care for these brave men and women and help them get timely access to care by fully funding veterans' health care. I am committed to providing the funding the VA needs to care for those who have sacrificed for the rest of us.
Traumatic brain injuries have been described by the Veterans of Foreign Wars as the “signature wound of this war.” Rather than addressing these problems, the Bush Administration is pretending they don't exist. As president, I will increase the research and treatment of these injuries and the conditions that follow from them, including epilepsy, related seizures and other conditions that can cause disabilities. I will also increase funding for the VA's prosthetics programs and polytrauma centers.
As a nation, America did not give enough to veterans returning from the Vietnam War, leaving thousands without the care they desperately needed. We need to admit our mistakes and learn from them. As president, I will require that all service members returning to the U.S. or leaving the military be provided with a new “Homefront Redeployment Plan," including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screenings, benefits information and seamless transfer of medical records.
When the members of our armed services become veterans, we have to make sure the system doesn't fail them. As president, I will create a new national chain of care to ensure that no veteran again falls through the cracks. Because many veterans receive treatment outside the VA system, this chain will coordinate treatment and benefits in outreach centers and clinics in every county where a veteran resides, both within and outside the VA network. I will also improve training for health personnel to recognize and treat PTSD, establish uniform standards for mental health care to address the wide range of quality of care, increase counseling resources within TRICARE and VA networks and permit access outside of the networks when necessary, and ensure that outreach is extended to family members who can help recognize symptoms. Caring for the newest generation of veterans must be accomplished without neglecting the continuing needs of veterans from previous generations.
Native Americans face unique health challenges: less access to health care, high rates of certain chronic conditions, and an infant mortality rate that is nearly 50 percent higher than the rate for white Americans. The U.S. government has an obligation to address these inequities and live up to its historic commitments to Native Americans.
The first step is to adequately fund the Indian Health Service. While in the Senate, I voted for increased IHS funding. I also support the badly needed improvements in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. To ensure that Indian health gets the attention it deserves, I support elevating the position of the Director of Indian Health Services to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health. I have proposed increasing research on medical disparities and creating a new health unit within the U.S. Department of Justice to address discrimination in health care.
As I said above, training to educate health care practitioners on best practices for treating people with disabilities is essential, and it is part of my plan to improve the quality of care for every American.
A recent report by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) documented that patients suffering from mental illnesses are unable to get the prescription drugs they need through Medicare Part D. That is unacceptable. The federal government should enforce rules preventing Medicare drug plans from switching patients to new drugs, which can upset months or years of work for patients and their health providers to find the right combination of specific medications.
The federal government must ensure that Medicare Part D participants are able to access the prescriptions drug they need to maintain their health and independence.
When I am president, I will rewrite the drug bill to put patients and people above drug companies and HMOs. I will clamp down on skyrocketing drug costs by empowering the government to negotiate better drug prices and allowing the safe reimportation of drugs from other countries. The Medicare prescription drug benefit is needlessly expensive due to giveaways to drug companies. Steps to reform the program should include addressing the “doughnut hole,” where many beneficiaries with high drugs costs find themselves without coverage.
Medicare emphasis on institutional care, rather than home and community-based care, is out of date. Unreasonably narrow eligibility rules for in-home benefits fail to consider current medical technology, which have made it easier for people with disabilities or chronic health conditions to travel. Perverse Medicare rules may force people with serious disabilities to give up opportunities to leave home and have as normal a social experience as possible outside the house to maximize Medicare benefits.
I will promote community-based care by fixing these unfair, outdated and bureaucratic rules that prevent Medicare beneficiaries from getting the things they need to live at home, such as wheelchairs. I support the Medicare Independent Living Act.
Yes, I believe mental illness and physical illness must get the same insurance coverage. I have long supported mental health parity legislation. I co-sponsored the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act when I served in the Senate. Mental health parity must be a national priority. Under my plan to guarantee quality, affordable health care for all Americans, every plan in the regional Health Markets includes comprehensive benefits -- including full mental health coverage.
Yes. I believe strongly in giving people with disabilities the choice of care in their communities. I cosponsored the predecessor to the Community Choice Act when I was in the Senate to offer personal attendant services though Medicaid. The Community Choice Act will help states comply with their Olmstead responsibilities.
I have a longstanding commitment to the cause of supporting people with disabilities to live independently. I also supported the Long-Term Care Security Act of 2000 (HR 4040).
The Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision held that the ADA required states to offer services to individuals with disabilities in the most integrated, community-based setting possible. This was an important victory for disability rights. Unfortunately, states are still struggling to implement Olmstead. The federal government must help states by supporting the transition to communitybased services and offering technical assistance.
I have proposed a “Living with Dignity” Initiative built on basic American principles: choice for families, the chance to get care in the home and community whenever possible, dignity and respect for both families and workers, and accountability for providers and the government.
My Living with Dignity Initiative will fund state efforts to expand home care and reform the long-term care, including tax credits for long-term care, asset and income protection programs that prevent families from spending down their incomes, and experiments with long-term care insurance. I will also support the recruitment and retention of home care workers through better wages, training, and working conditions.
In addition, my plan to guarantee quality, affordable health care for every American will also strengthen Medicaid’s support for long-term care and emphasize home- and community-based care to allow caregivers to keep their family members nearby.
Integrated managed care holds the promise of focusing on patient needs rather than reimbursement rules. When implemented correctly, the integration of acute and long term care can make it easier for people with disabilities to live independently.
However, the risks are high because managed care providers have incentives to deny care. It would be wrong to rush to implement integrated managed care without waiting for thoughtful program design, which stresses effective safeguards, coordination of care, and evaluation. I believe this process requires the full participation of the disabilities community. I would support demonstration projects that are thoroughly evaluated, and include people with disabilities in both the design and the evaluation. Without adequate oversight, patients will end up worse off, and that is unacceptable.
Millions of people with disabilities rely on attendants to help them live and work in their communities. These workers assist people with disabilities with activities of daily living, medication administration, preparing and eating meals, getting to work, gaining life skills and handling other daily affairs.
Demand for these workers is growing. Hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities are on waiting lists for services and the demand will grow 62 percent by 2010 as these Americans get older. Unfortunately, these positions have a high turnover rate each year because of poor wages and job demands, putting the quality of life for people with disabilities at risk. My Living with Dignity Initiative includes specific steps to attract, support and retain home health aides and attendants. These workers ought to be treated with the same dignity and respect that we ask them to give to their patients. As president, I will provide resources to improve wages, training, and working conditions for aides. I will also establish strong workplace safety regulations such as the ergonomics regulations discarded by President Bush.
Medicare and Medicaid were developed for different purposes, but neither focused on the needs of people with disabilities. Medicare offers the strength of allowing people the freedom to choose their providers. Medicaid offers an appealing list of benefits, although it is limited by inadequate reimbursement in some states. However, the interaction between the two programs creates inappropriate incentives.
Medicaid provides long-term care but remains biased toward providing that care in institutional settings. Nursing home care remains a Medicaid entitlement, while people with disabilities who prefer home and community-based care are often put on a waiting list. As a result, low-income Americans with disabilities who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare tend to (1) have less choice in how they are treated and (2) receive their care in more restrictive – and more costly – settings than a more integrated system would permit. In addition, states don’t invest in treatment initiatives that would improve patient care for Medicare-eligible patients because the savings will disproportionately go to the federal Medicare program.
Because Medicare and Medicaid operate on two different levels of government, it can be very difficult to synchronize reforms. But the task must start with strong federal leadership. As president, I will appoint an administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who understands the needs of people with disabilities, and I will work to assure that both programs work to deliver the best possible care in the least restrictive setting.
Integrating people with disabilities into every part of society is the only way to guarantee equal access to all of the opportunities of society. It is also the morally right choice for society to make. Housing policy is central to this effort because integrating people with disabilities must start with where they live.
As I said above, a portion of the one million new Section 8 housing vouchers will serve people with disabilities – increasing greater integrated housing opportunities for people with disabilities, particularly those leaving institutional care. At least 5,000 of these vouchers over five years should be dedicated to people with disabilities making the transition from institutional care to independent living. I will direct HUD to ensure compliance with accessibility requirements that local housing authorities publish a list of accessible units. I will also expand outreach and education efforts to ensure that eligible Americans with disabilities know how to apply for vouchers.
We must also reform Section 811 housing – the segregated housing program for people with disabilities – to move toward more affordable, more accessible, integrated housing. In addition to ensuring affordable housing, the federal government has to do more to ensure that housing that receives federal funding – including tax credit financing – is accessible. We need to work to remove the obstacles that people with disabilities face when they go to visit their friends and family.
Finally, as I said above, I want to expand home ownership and home rental opportunities within the disability community.
Vigorous implementation of Fair Housing laws starts with appointing officials committed to protecting the civil rights of every American. The next step is providing sufficient resources for effective enforcement. It continues by nominating judges who are committed to protecting the civil rights of regular Americans. Judge Alito’s Fair Housing decisions, for example, show the damage that the judiciary can do.
The last and most important step is leadership. As president, I will direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make the enforcement of Section 504 a priority alongside the Fair Housing Act.
There is so much more HUD can do: ensure that housing built with federal low-income housing tax credits complies with accessibility requirements, actually follow up on the findings of the groundbreaking “Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities: Barriers at Every Step” HUD study; and study the effect of increased federal grants to faith-based organizations. As a very first step, I would ask my HUD Secretary to explain how HUD has implemented the 2001recommendations of the National Council on Disabilities and justify its reasoning for anyrecommendations it has ignored.
Ensuring compliance with the Olmstead decision must be a central part of HUD’s ongoing civil rights work. Moving people with disabilities from institutional care to less restrictive settings is now the law of the land. Yet hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans continue to live in congregate care settings because accessible and affordable home-based care and housing are not available. HUD needs to play a major role in ensuring that the legal standard is reflected in the real world.
First, HUD’s civil rights and compliance staff should ensure that their state agency counterparts are communicating with health services agencies to make them aware of their Olmstead obligations.
Second, as our country’s primary housing agency, HUD – working together with state and local agencies must ensure the availability of affordable and accessible so that the Olmstead holding is not an empty promise. Today, multi-year waiting lists are a barrier to achieving the vision of Olmstead.
Third, to help ensure an adequate supply of appropriate housing, I will target a minimum of 5,000 housing vouchers over five years to help individuals move from institutional care to independent living and take the other steps described above to increase the supply of affordable and accessible housing.
Fourth, I will help local housing authorities to work with disabilities groups, aging organizations and Medicaid programs to ensure that individuals in their communities have the opportunity to live in the most integrated setting possible.
Accessible transportation is a critical component of increased work opportunities for people with disabilities. For most jobs, you cannot work if you cannot get from your house to the job site. Only 69 percent of people with disabilities have a way to get to a job.
Funding and enforcement of transportation access requirements will be central to the mission of the Department of Transportation. In addition, HUD funding for accessible local transportation and DOJ enforcement of the ADA are critical components to ensure local transportation that is fully accessible for people with disabilities. As a strong supporter of mass transit, I believe we must invest in providing more mass transit and ensuring that it is accessible to people with disabilities and meets their needs, such as “kneeling” buses that make it easier to board. I support increasing federal funding for nonprofit groups to meet the transportation needs of people with disabilities when public mass transit is not available.
Things that sound little can be very important to ensuring accessibility. Clearing snow, removing standing water, providing shelter from wind and rain can make the difference between a bus or train stop that is accessible and one that is not. Train systems should have worker training to provide assistance across gaps between train cars and stations, with appropriate universal signage. The federal government has the power through Section 504 to ensure these efforts are made. It should use it.
In addition to mass transit, the Justice Department can also enforce accessibility requirements for taxis and other common carriers. And common sense will ensure security needs are managed with dignity for people with disabilities -- the Transportation Safety Administration should use uniform, reasonable screening for people with disabilities that do not cause unnecessary pain, discomfort or delay in air travel.
Beyond mass transit, which is often not a viable solution in rural America, we can do more to support mobility for drivers with disabilities. Electronic toll collection passes (e.g., EZ-PASS) make toll-paying much safer for individuals who rely on hand controls to operate their vehicles. They are more a necessity than a convenience. I would require states to waive fees for the passes for low-income people with disabilities.
Hurricane Katrina highlighted that the need for reliable, affordable, accessible transportation is not limited to accomplishing everyday life and work functions. It can be – and – was the difference between life and death for hundreds of people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coat. People with disabilities were disproportionately affected – such as those who died in the hurricane and its aftermath or who were stranded in the Superdome because their needs were often overlooked or completely disregarded. Our emergency preparedness planning absolutely must do a better job of reflecting the needs of people with disabilities.
One of the benefits of No Child Left Behind is that all students are included within a school’s accountability system. Special education is a part of general education. Holding schools accountable for their success at teaching children – including children with disabilities – will help us strengthen our schools. As president, I will make sure the Department of Education focuses on the need to treat children with disabilities inclusively within the No Child Left Behind accountability framework. However, much of the No Child Left Behind Act needs to be improved. The accountability provisions of No Child Left Behind need to be overhauled. They are often illogical and arbitrary, and they have damaging effects in the classroom. And we need higher quality assessments to more accurately measure all students’ learning.
I support more research, technical assistance, and professional development about what constitutes valid and reliable assessments for the full range of students with disabilities.
For more than a quarter-century, the federal government has rightly insisted that every child with special needs receive a free and appropriate public education. However, it has failed to provide even half of its share of the cost, placing excessive burdens on local school budgets and undermining efforts to provide an excellent education to all children. I have repeatedly voted to fully fund special education and to make the funding mandatory. As president, I will continue to support full funding for the education of children with disabilities.
As president, I will strengthen enforcement by the Department of Education so children with disabilities receive the free, appropriate education they deserve and are legally entitled to. The first principles are the same as with Fair Housing – appointing strong enforcement officials, nominating fair judges, providing adequate resources and exercising leadership to make enforcement a priority.
A strong partnership between the Departments of Education and Justice is key, and I will seek the most qualified people with disabilities to fill leadership positions at both agencies. Sharing data between the two departments will permit faster response to complaints and better evaluation of individual education plans. Full funding will assist IDEA enforcement in both the DOE and DOJ. My administration will draw upon the experience of educators, administrators and advocates who have successfully implemented IDEA programs as models for other states and communities to follow.
At the same time, I oppose Republican efforts to roll back key provisions of the IDEA. Whether it is denying access to attorneys by putting artificial caps on fees or stripping children with disabilities of civil rights, we must stop rollbacks of IDEA.
We must address the higher dropout rates and lower college enrollment rates for students with disabilities. The starting place must be fully funding IDEA.
Providing Individualized Education Program when requested, with meaningful complaint opportunities for parents who cannot obtain one, or negotiate a meaningful one, will help keep children with disabilities in school and help them graduate.
For students with disabilities, planning for the transition from school to adult life must start early. I will make sure that the Department of Education works with states to put effective and accountable transition planning into place.
Many dropouts realize dropping out was a mistake. America is about second chances, so I don't see why we shouldn't have “second-chance schools” to lift up former dropouts, offering them one-on-one attention and a chance to earn a diploma at night or at a local community college. In addition, my Breaking Down Barriers initiative will help high school and college students with disabilities find internships, so they can experience the working world and be encouraged to stay in school. This initiative will also provide them valuable skills and contacts for finding a job after graduation, helping them on the path towards success and self-sufficiency.
The challenges of helping young people with disabilities matriculate to college and get their first job are equaled only by the reward for society of integrating them into the workplace. There is so much we can do – so much we must do – to help students make these transitions successfully.
Too many students lack the encouragement and guidance they need to apply to college. The challenges are even greater for students with disabilities. In some large cities, a single counselor must serve more than 700 students. I will help every low-income high school eligible for Title I hire a new college counselor, helping students choose college-track courses and navigate the admissions and financial aid process.
As president, I will support vocational rehabilitation programs and the expansion of employment-based settings for federally-funded job education.
I also believe the work-study experience that my Breaking Down Barriers initiative will offer to young people with disabilities will help many make the transition from school to work.
I believe that as the internet becomes ubiquitous, it must become more inclusive. Just as we made sure that now old-fashioned copper-wire telephone service was accessible, we must do the same with new technologies that have the same importance. I would support legislation to achieve that goal. The 2006 National Council on Disability report is an excellent starting place.
Because the technology is changing so quickly, as president, in my first year in office, I will convene a task force with significant representation from the disabilities community to rapidly update the 2006 report and make legislative recommendations for my administration to ensure that internet and IP-based services are accessible. Key areas will include accessibility for Voice Over Internet service, instant messaging, and captioning for internet television.
Aside from legislation, my campaign is committed to making our web site and internet video transmissions accessible. We have already taken several steps to do so.
I support updating telecommunications policy to ensure that new applications like internet-based telephone service and video services are made accessible. We should update the original Communications Act to make sure that as the internet replaces older telephone systems, access for people with disabilities remains guaranteed.
Congress enacted Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act to make sure that the federal government uses both its procurement policy and its law enforcement power to make information technology and software as accessible as possible. But these laws can’t just sit on the books. We must enforce them.
As with Fair Housing, effective law enforcement depends upon able staff appointments, a fair judiciary, adequate resources and strong leadership. I am committed to appointing enforcement officials and nominating judges who are committing to protecting the civil rights of all Americans.
I will communicate clearly that enforcement of laws that ensure accessibility to essential life activities and means of commerce will be a priority in my administration. And I will provide the funding necessary for the Justice Department and the FCC to make sure that the federal government is using its purchasing power and enforcement ability to achieve the goals of more accessible technology for all Americans with disabilities. I will also ensure adequate training for DOJ and FCC employees to implement these laws and rely upon ongoing dialogue with the disabilities community to determine technology access needs and implement suggestions for greater universal access.
Yes. Strong federal leadership is essential in order to close the growing digital divide between people with and without disabilities. Federal support for state programs leverages additional public and private support. Advancements and distribution of assistive technology opens doors of opportunity for people with disabilities and older Americans.
America must do much more to guarantee every citizen a meaningful right to vote. Denying Americans with disabilities the right to vote privately and independently is inconsistent with our nation’s most fundamental values.
I will help every precinct provide enough trained poll workers and secure voting machines that are physically accessible to all. I do not believe that touch-screen machines without paper ballots can guarantee voting integrity. Touch-screen voting machines that also record votes on verifiable paper ballots may satisfy my concerns about both integrity and access. Voting systems must also protect ballot privacy for people with disabilities.
Voting rights is an example of an area where the disability community provides the best information about which ballot systems work best. My administration would have an ongoing dialogue with the community to ensure meaningful disability voting rights protections, including real-time election day enforcement.
I also support election day registration, which would increase voter turnout while ending the fiasco of provisional ballots, purge lists and bad-faith suppression of voter registration drives.
It is not good enough for government to just mandate accessibility standards for voting machines. We must follow up and measure whether, in fact, the standards are working. Are people with disabilities able to participate fully in our democracy?
As president, I will ask relevant government agencies, including the National Council on Disabilities and representatives of the disabilities community to determine the best ways to measure wh |
