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| Elizabeth Warren Opens a New Front in Disability Policy | Elizabeth Warren Opens a New Front in Disability Policy |
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| Christine Motokane could get long-term care to help her with daily tasks like cooking. Matthew Cortland could marry his longtime partner. Christin Lucas could stop worrying that her son’s school might put him back in the isolated classrooms that made him suicidal. | Christine Motokane could get long-term care to help her with daily tasks like cooking. Matthew Cortland could marry his longtime partner. Christin Lucas could stop worrying that her son’s school might put him back in the isolated classrooms that made him suicidal. |
| This is some of what is at stake in a newly prominent debate over disability policy. | This is some of what is at stake in a newly prominent debate over disability policy. |
| For months, Democratic presidential candidates have built on one another in this arena, culminating last week with a plan from Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts whose scope shocked many advocates. | For months, Democratic presidential candidates have built on one another in this arena, culminating last week with a plan from Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts whose scope shocked many advocates. |
| That plan and the way Ms. Warren developed it, with a working group of about a dozen people with disabilities, reflect a sea change. More presidential candidates than ever before are acknowledging how many issues, from criminal justice to student debt, affect people with disabilities, who make up a quarter of the country’s adult population. And more people with disabilities are shaping the policies that could affect them. | That plan and the way Ms. Warren developed it, with a working group of about a dozen people with disabilities, reflect a sea change. More presidential candidates than ever before are acknowledging how many issues, from criminal justice to student debt, affect people with disabilities, who make up a quarter of the country’s adult population. And more people with disabilities are shaping the policies that could affect them. |
| “Candidates are actually listening to disabled people,” said Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, who was part of Ms. Warren’s working group and has advised several other candidates on their plans. “This is how policy should be made. It matters who’s at the table.” | “Candidates are actually listening to disabled people,” said Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, who was part of Ms. Warren’s working group and has advised several other candidates on their plans. “This is how policy should be made. It matters who’s at the table.” |
| Ms. Warren is not the only candidate to take a new approach. Several activists praised Julián Castro, the former housing secretary who ended his campaign and endorsed Ms. Warren this month, for his attention to disability policy. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., has an extensive plan. | Ms. Warren is not the only candidate to take a new approach. Several activists praised Julián Castro, the former housing secretary who ended his campaign and endorsed Ms. Warren this month, for his attention to disability policy. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., has an extensive plan. |
| And Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota released a proposal on Friday — developed with disability rights groups, her campaign said — that would, among other things, expand home- and community-based services, make technologies like speech-generating devices more accessible, increase Social Security disability payments and strengthen anti-discrimination laws. | And Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota released a proposal on Friday — developed with disability rights groups, her campaign said — that would, among other things, expand home- and community-based services, make technologies like speech-generating devices more accessible, increase Social Security disability payments and strengthen anti-discrimination laws. |
| But the disability community has responded more enthusiastically to Ms. Warren’s plan than to any other so far. | But the disability community has responded more enthusiastically to Ms. Warren’s plan than to any other so far. |
| “It is the most comprehensive thing I have seen in my 20 years of looking at these things,” said Jason Dorwart, a theater professor at Oberlin College who is quadriplegic. | “It is the most comprehensive thing I have seen in my 20 years of looking at these things,” said Jason Dorwart, a theater professor at Oberlin College who is quadriplegic. |
| The plan is sprawling, touching on health care, education, employment, Social Security, technology, housing, incarceration, police brutality and environmental justice. | The plan is sprawling, touching on health care, education, employment, Social Security, technology, housing, incarceration, police brutality and environmental justice. |
| It overlaps with other candidates’ plans: For instance, Ms. Warren, Mr. Buttigieg, Ms. Klobuchar, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont all want to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is meant to guarantee free public education for children with disabilities, and end the sub-minimum wage, which allows some workers with disabilities to be paid cents an hour based on the argument that it will make employers more likely to hire them. | |
| But in other areas, Ms. Warren’s plan goes further. | |
| While several candidates want to change rules that keep recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income in poverty, Ms. Warren’s proposal is particularly detailed, including on eligibility and income limits. Advocates also noted sections on helping deaf children learn language skills and on the threats people with disabilities face in police encounters and natural disasters, as well as the plan’s attention to how disability and race are intertwined. | While several candidates want to change rules that keep recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income in poverty, Ms. Warren’s proposal is particularly detailed, including on eligibility and income limits. Advocates also noted sections on helping deaf children learn language skills and on the threats people with disabilities face in police encounters and natural disasters, as well as the plan’s attention to how disability and race are intertwined. |
| “Typically, if you look at who people focus on when it comes to disability in politics, it’s a disabled white man or white woman,” said Vilissa Thompson, a social worker who founded Ramp Your Voice and was part of Ms. Warren’s working group. | “Typically, if you look at who people focus on when it comes to disability in politics, it’s a disabled white man or white woman,” said Vilissa Thompson, a social worker who founded Ramp Your Voice and was part of Ms. Warren’s working group. |
| In an interview this week, Ms. Warren said she had asked her staff to create the group after hearing from people with disabilities at her campaign events. | In an interview this week, Ms. Warren said she had asked her staff to create the group after hearing from people with disabilities at her campaign events. |
| “The personal stories caused us to rethink parts of current federal policy that badly need to be rewritten,” she said. “In every way possible, the disability community helped us expand our understanding of both what needed to be done and what we could do.” | “The personal stories caused us to rethink parts of current federal policy that badly need to be rewritten,” she said. “In every way possible, the disability community helped us expand our understanding of both what needed to be done and what we could do.” |
| More than anything, people with disabilities marveled at the wide range of proposals in a single document — a breadth Ms. Warren alluded to in a Twitter question-and-answer session when she declared, “All policy issues are disability policy issues.” | More than anything, people with disabilities marveled at the wide range of proposals in a single document — a breadth Ms. Warren alluded to in a Twitter question-and-answer session when she declared, “All policy issues are disability policy issues.” |
| Ms. Warren “sees that things like the plastic straw ban or the California wildfires all have disability rights components,” said Jasmine E. Harris, a professor of law at the University of California, Davis. “Disability is a lens by which we can view how certain issues disproportionately impact people with disabilities. That is the disability scholar’s dream, to hear that.” | Ms. Warren “sees that things like the plastic straw ban or the California wildfires all have disability rights components,” said Jasmine E. Harris, a professor of law at the University of California, Davis. “Disability is a lens by which we can view how certain issues disproportionately impact people with disabilities. That is the disability scholar’s dream, to hear that.” |
| People with disabilities described a range of ways that plans like Ms. Warren’s could change their lives. | People with disabilities described a range of ways that plans like Ms. Warren’s could change their lives. |
| Ms. Motokane, 27, who has autism, said she had sought Medicaid coverage for an aide to help her with things like cooking, budgeting and transportation. But her salary as a school paraprofessional in rural Washington State puts her above the income limit for that coverage — a limit Ms. Warren wants to raise. | Ms. Motokane, 27, who has autism, said she had sought Medicaid coverage for an aide to help her with things like cooking, budgeting and transportation. But her salary as a school paraprofessional in rural Washington State puts her above the income limit for that coverage — a limit Ms. Warren wants to raise. |
| Mr. Dorwart, 43, faced a similar situation in graduate school: He worked part-time over two months, but both paychecks arrived in one month, exceeding the income limit and costing him his Social Security Disability Insurance. That meant he had to pay out of pocket for the aide who enabled him to get out of bed and into his wheelchair, which in turn meant he had to take out more student loans and rely on GoFundMe campaigns to get by. | Mr. Dorwart, 43, faced a similar situation in graduate school: He worked part-time over two months, but both paychecks arrived in one month, exceeding the income limit and costing him his Social Security Disability Insurance. That meant he had to pay out of pocket for the aide who enabled him to get out of bed and into his wheelchair, which in turn meant he had to take out more student loans and rely on GoFundMe campaigns to get by. |
| Another rule Ms. Warren wants to change limits the assets S.S.I. recipients can have, so that marrying someone with, say, $5,000 in a retirement account means losing benefits. Because of that, Mr. Cortland, a lawyer and policy analyst who was part of the working group, cannot afford to marry his partner of 12 years. | Another rule Ms. Warren wants to change limits the assets S.S.I. recipients can have, so that marrying someone with, say, $5,000 in a retirement account means losing benefits. Because of that, Mr. Cortland, a lawyer and policy analyst who was part of the working group, cannot afford to marry his partner of 12 years. |
| “Long term, there are very few parts of this plan that wouldn’t improve my life,” said Jack MC Staier, who has multiple disabilities, including hypermobility (which causes his joints to dislocate), Raynaud’s syndrome, migraines and depression. | “Long term, there are very few parts of this plan that wouldn’t improve my life,” said Jack MC Staier, who has multiple disabilities, including hypermobility (which causes his joints to dislocate), Raynaud’s syndrome, migraines and depression. |
| Financial security is one of the biggest potential benefits, said Mr. Staier, 21, recalling that during his first year of college, he could only afford to spend $10 a day on food, and his weight dropped dangerously. Now, he can’t afford braces that would ease his chronic pain, and worries he won’t be hired if he discloses his disabilities to potential employers. | Financial security is one of the biggest potential benefits, said Mr. Staier, 21, recalling that during his first year of college, he could only afford to spend $10 a day on food, and his weight dropped dangerously. Now, he can’t afford braces that would ease his chronic pain, and worries he won’t be hired if he discloses his disabilities to potential employers. |
| In interviews with a dozen activists and people with disabilities this week, only one criticism of Ms. Warren’s plan was raised: its lack of an explicit commitment to inclusive education, in which children with disabilities are taught in regular classrooms with accommodations, not in separate special-education rooms. Several studies have shown that children do better academically and socially under inclusive education. | In interviews with a dozen activists and people with disabilities this week, only one criticism of Ms. Warren’s plan was raised: its lack of an explicit commitment to inclusive education, in which children with disabilities are taught in regular classrooms with accommodations, not in separate special-education rooms. Several studies have shown that children do better academically and socially under inclusive education. |
| Ms. Warren, who has often spoken about her experience as a special-education teacher, is committed to inclusive education, her campaign said, adding that several elements of her plan — including more funding for paraprofessionals, who can help students with disabilities in regular classrooms — would promote it. But her plan sets no targets or timeline for that. | Ms. Warren, who has often spoken about her experience as a special-education teacher, is committed to inclusive education, her campaign said, adding that several elements of her plan — including more funding for paraprofessionals, who can help students with disabilities in regular classrooms — would promote it. But her plan sets no targets or timeline for that. |
| By contrast, Mr. Buttigieg’s plan says that by the end of the 2025 school year, 85 percent of students with “intellectual and multiple disabilities” should be spending 80 percent or more of the school day in a regular classroom. | By contrast, Mr. Buttigieg’s plan says that by the end of the 2025 school year, 85 percent of students with “intellectual and multiple disabilities” should be spending 80 percent or more of the school day in a regular classroom. |
| Ms. Lucas, of Bay Village, Ohio, said that when her son Bobby, who has Down syndrome, was put in a separate classroom in second grade, he became so depressed that he said he would kill himself. Bobby is now in fifth grade and in a regular classroom, and Ms. Lucas said that he was doing well — but that she was constantly afraid a new administrator could remove him. | Ms. Lucas, of Bay Village, Ohio, said that when her son Bobby, who has Down syndrome, was put in a separate classroom in second grade, he became so depressed that he said he would kill himself. Bobby is now in fifth grade and in a regular classroom, and Ms. Lucas said that he was doing well — but that she was constantly afraid a new administrator could remove him. |
| “Just because that segregated room exists, it’s a constant threat for him,” she said. | “Just because that segregated room exists, it’s a constant threat for him,” she said. |
| Cal Montgomery, 52, an activist in Chicago who has autism and uses a wheelchair, also brought up inclusive education. “If all you see is that the disabled kids are somewhere else,” he said, “then it’s much easier to accept institutionalization as a natural thing when you’re an adult.” | Cal Montgomery, 52, an activist in Chicago who has autism and uses a wheelchair, also brought up inclusive education. “If all you see is that the disabled kids are somewhere else,” he said, “then it’s much easier to accept institutionalization as a natural thing when you’re an adult.” |
| He added, though, that he was leaning toward voting for Ms. Warren, and that she had “clearly listened” to people with disabilities — a sentiment echoed by several members of the working group, who said they had rarely seen a candidate collaborate that way. | He added, though, that he was leaning toward voting for Ms. Warren, and that she had “clearly listened” to people with disabilities — a sentiment echoed by several members of the working group, who said they had rarely seen a candidate collaborate that way. |
| “There’s a saying in the disability community, ‘Nothing about us without us,’” Mr. Cortland said. “Some other candidates have talked about the disability community as being something ‘other,’ and not really talked about us in ways that reflect the fact that we’re 25 percent of the population of the United States.” | “There’s a saying in the disability community, ‘Nothing about us without us,’” Mr. Cortland said. “Some other candidates have talked about the disability community as being something ‘other,’ and not really talked about us in ways that reflect the fact that we’re 25 percent of the population of the United States.” |
| Many of the candidates’ proposals would require congressional approval, which could be a challenge if a Democrat is elected president but Republicans control either chamber. For instance, one current piece of legislation, the Disability Integration Act, has 34 co-sponsors, but only two are Republicans. And the Trump administration is trying to move in the opposite direction by subjecting S.S.I. and S.S.D.I. recipients to more frequent reviews of whether they still have severe enough disabilities. | Many of the candidates’ proposals would require congressional approval, which could be a challenge if a Democrat is elected president but Republicans control either chamber. For instance, one current piece of legislation, the Disability Integration Act, has 34 co-sponsors, but only two are Republicans. And the Trump administration is trying to move in the opposite direction by subjecting S.S.I. and S.S.D.I. recipients to more frequent reviews of whether they still have severe enough disabilities. |
| Even so, Mr. Montgomery said proposals like Ms. Warren’s — as well as Mr. Buttigieg’s, Mr. Castro’s and Mr. Sanders’s — had given people with disabilities something they had long lacked: clarity on how candidates would help or hurt them. | Even so, Mr. Montgomery said proposals like Ms. Warren’s — as well as Mr. Buttigieg’s, Mr. Castro’s and Mr. Sanders’s — had given people with disabilities something they had long lacked: clarity on how candidates would help or hurt them. |
| “All we have to judge is what they put out in public,” he said. “I appreciate that those individuals have given us a really robust vision of what they see for us in the future, because that enables us to make informed decisions about voting in a way we’ve never been able to before.” | “All we have to judge is what they put out in public,” he said. “I appreciate that those individuals have given us a really robust vision of what they see for us in the future, because that enables us to make informed decisions about voting in a way we’ve never been able to before.” |