Friday, November 11, 2016

"I'm a Disabled American. Trump's Policies Will Be a Disaster for People Like Me."

Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, is not encouraged by the prospects of a Trump presidency. Ne'eman, one of President Obama's appointees to the National Council on Disability from 2010 to 2015, says he was bothered by Trump's mocking of people with disabilities, but he has been more focused on policy.

He writes, "Hillary Clinton offered clear, specific, and timely policy proposals to expand the social safety net and civil rights of people with disabilities, while Trump made clear his intent to slash services and roll back legal protections. For the millions of Americans with disabilities who depend on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to access the health care and public services that mean basic survival, it is policy -- not personal insult -- that has brought terror and despair in the aftermath of Trump's victory."

His concerns:

  • Trump plans to slash the main source of federal financing for disability and aging services.
  • Trump plans to eliminate critical legal protections for disabled people in the health care system.
  • Trump may be about to set back federal autism policy by at least a decade.

But there's hope:

  • Disability activists have faced down conservative attempts to roll back disability rights before -- and won.
  • The Trump presidency will be a disaster -- but even a disaster presents certain opportunities.

Read his detailed analysis at vox.com, "I'm a Disabled American. Trump's Policies Will Be a Disaster for People Like Me."


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