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Election 2008: People With Disabilities Could Play a Pivitol Role
The WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT has made a great difference in the lives of women.
The SENIOR MOVEMENT has made a great different in benefits to and representation of senior issues.
The single largest group of individuals who remain politically underrepresented and discriminated against are: PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Disability and special needs have become an issue in the current U.S. presidential election. This attention has been long in coming and is a very rare opportunity to be heard. Throughout childhood, primary support for individuals with physical disability comes from the family. The family income, often low, is inherently affected by the need for one or both parents to spend substantial time tending to the special needs of their child.As the individual grows into adult life and as his/her parents grow old and retire, the parents will physically and financially be less able to continue supporting the responsibilities they have accepted throughout the childhood years. The disabled individual’s primary support will then become more and more reliant on federal government financial aid and services such as SSI and Medicare.
As a result, most individuals with significant physical disability live at a low-income level, often below the poverty level their entire lives. Individuals with disabilities therefore face limitations not only associated with their disabilities, but also by the amount and type of financial support from the government. Subtract from that extraordinary expenses such as health care and special accommodations, you have what has become for many an untenable situation. Getting adequate financial support is essential to each individual to assist with daily living issues and essential to sponsor research that, someday, could eliminate some of the causes of physical disability. Getting adequate government financial support will only come with strong representation. i.e. “THE DISABLED NEED TO FORM COLLECTIVELY A COMMON VOICE.” Life for the disabled will not change significantly until individuals with physical disabilities develop that collective voice to push for change in laws to protect them, and change in laws governing the type and level of services available to assist with special needs. You as a person with disability and you as a family member need to: “INFORM YOURSELF ON CANDIDATES AND POSITIONS!” “MAKE AN EDUCATED CHOICE!” and “YOU MUST GET OUT AND VOTE!” You also need to let those running for office know that “THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED REPRESENT A LARGE VOTING BLOCK (20 MILLION STRONG)” and let them know if they don’t realize your vote is important, “THEY MAY NOT GET ELECTED.” Assistance is available at your polling place, or you can obtain a proxy ballot if it is too difficult to get to the polls. Our goal is to make information accessible to you which you and your family can use to overcome the daily obstacles presented by living with physical disability, which you can use to gain a voice in your future and the future of others, and to make, for you and others, life easier and more fun. Visit NHU's Election 2008 Resource Page to learn all you need to know to vote in this November's election.