Presidential Candidates' Stands on Disability Policy Issues

The following is a letter from NCIL, the National Council on Independent Living, regarding the positions of our Presidential Candidates on Disability Policy Issues


Dear Fellow Advocates:

As many of you know, I announced at the NCIL annual conference that Senator McCain was changing his position on the Community Choice Act (CCA) and that he would be making a formal announcement of his support for the CCA at the Disabilities Issues Forum in Ohio. This information had been given to me by a staff person within the McCain campaign with direct responsibility for disability policy issues. Therefore, I felt confident in making this announcement to the NCIL membership during our time together at the conference.

However, as we all now know on July 26, the 18th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, at the Disabilities Issues Forum in Ohio, Senator McCain once again stated that he does not support the Community Choice Act.

The National Council on Independent Living supports two pieces of legislation in regards to people with disabilities receiving services in the community. They are the Community Choices Act and the Community Living Assistance, Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. There is a strong historical linkage between NCIL and the struggle for people with disabilities to live in their own homes and communities - not in institutions. We believe it is important for the NCIL Membership to know that Senator Obama is signed on as a co-sponsor of both of those pieces of legislation and Senator McCain is a co-sponsor of neither. For more information on where the candidates stand on our issues, visit the candidates’ campaign websites: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues and http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities.

The Community Choice Act would give people with disabilities the right to live with dignity in homes of our choosing, rather than to be forced into nursing homes or other institutions. Senator McCain said that he opposes the Community Choice Act because of cost, placing the value of money over the value of people with disabilities’ dignity and choice. Also, evidence-based research by Dr. Mitch LaPlante from the University of California San Francisco, who is recognized as one of the foremost disability researchers in the country, proves that the Community Choices Act is affordable.

We must end the institutional bias now. We have to stop locking people away from home, friends, and family just because they have a disability. Ending this bias will make a better and richer society because history has shown that ending bias and segregation against people, any and all people, is good for us all.

We encourage you to continue and ramp up your advocacy efforts and to exercise your right to vote. In the words of Justin Dart – “Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does.”


Sincerely,

Kelly Buckland
President