Disability Policies for 2020

What Democratic Presidential Candidates will do for Americans with Disabilities

*this piece was last updated February 19, 2020 to remove Andrew Yang and introduce Mike Bloomberg

According to a study from Rutgers University, disabled voter turnout rose by 8.5 points in 2018. I expect this number to rise in 2020, given the Trump administration’s continued assaults on the rights of people with disabilities.

The below looks at six candidates and their candidacy as it relates to the disabled community. The piece is shortened from before to keep it digestible, but I want to give credit to Alice Wong and the #CriptheVote movement she created for inspiring me to put this together.

I’m extremely encouraged by some of these plans. They are specific and delve into vital issues, including housing, employment, and equality.

There are some commonalities amongst the candidates. They all want to pass the Disability Integration Act, end subminimum wage, expand healthcare for people with disabilities, and fully fund the IDEA.

Mike Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor

Any person with a disability who’s traveled to New York City has learned the hard way that the city is not accessible to those with disabilities. I lived there for several years and was consistently disappointed. New Yorkers with disabilities were not a priority under Bloomberg and so far it’s not looking good…