Today is the last day of Disability Pride Month. We celebrate the disability activists who fought to pass the monumental Americans with Disabilities Act and honor their work by continuing the fight to expand disability rights. This is a year round struggle.
This Sunday, we marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This act codified important rights for people with disabilities. But the ADA in its current form is not enough to provide the disability community with the protections and resources they need.
Advocacy for the disability community cannot stop at simply expanding accessibility. We must fight to guarantee racial, social, and economic justice for all.
About one third to one half of all people killed by police have a disability. When we talk about addressing systemic racism and police brutality, it is crucial that the disability community is central to and included in the conversation. #BlackDisabledLivesMatter
The sub-minimum wage is a legal loophole that allows organizations to pay workers with disabilities a fraction of what their non-disabled coworkers are paid—even below the federal minimum wage. We must end this injustice and raise the minimum wage to at least $15 for all people.
This pandemic has been challenging for students and families across the country. But the burden falls even greater on students with disabilities, who are being denied the services they need during this crisis. We cannot continue to let these students fall between the cracks.
When it comes time for elections, the disability community faces extraordinary barriers to exercising their right to vote. Most polling places are not ADA compliant. This is voter suppression. Equal access to our democracy is non-negotiable.
We have a responsibility to stand with the disability community and demand justice. Together we can and will build a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible country.
