Obama's Positions on Disabilities: An In-Depth Look

Several readers have requested more detailed information about Sen. Obama's stance on disabilities, so here's a third-party analysis that goes beyond his position papers. Way back in April, Michael Berube -- a Penn State professor who has written several books on disabilities, civil rights, education, and politics -- compared the plans of Sens. Obama, Clinton, and McCain, focusing mainly on Obama and Clinton. His article is titled Disability and Democracy. Of course, Hillary Clinton's positions at this point are less relevant, but the juxtaposition of their plans provides valuable context. This is very detailed -- and by detailed, I mean 2,500 words. But if you really want to delve into the issues, this is a great place to start.

Ironically, Berube starts his article by saying he wrote it because: "(a) no one knows that the candidates have policy positions on disability and (b) policy positions on disability are not as important as flag pins." At the time he wrote that, Berube, who has a teenager with Down Sydrome, never could have imagined how prominent these issues would become in this year's election.