The Presidential Candidates’ Differing Stances on Disability Rights

Being a person with a disability, a presidential hopefuls’ stand on disability rights is quite important to me, since it may impact my daily life as well as the lives of my friends and family. I have researched each candidate’s stand on disability rights, including their prospective plans outlined on the campaign trail, as well as key votes in the Senate and the House made by them.

Education for Children with Disabilities:

Obama:
Obama supports full funding for the Idea, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  He voted for over $44 billion in funding for the Idea (Scr 1, Senate Vote number 94 3/22/07). Obama also intends to invest $10 billion in early intervention, education, and developmental programs for children from the ages of 0 to five years.  Under this plan, programs like Early Head Start would be significantly expanded to provide more opportunities for those children with disabilities.

Obama also supports increased opportunities for disabled students attending college, as well as increased support for these students.  In fact, he was one of the original co-sponsors of the Senate bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (S 1642)

McCain:
Repeatedly, despite his assertions that he supports the Idea, John McCain has voted against it.  On several occasions, he voted against funding increases for the Idea (H.R.4577, Senate Vote #170, 6/30/00; SCR 23, Senate Vote #103, 3/26/03).  It could be argued that McCain has chosen tax cuts for the wealthy over funding for education of those with disabilities, since he voted against several Senate and House bills whose funding for said education would have been achieved by reducing tax cuts. In the same vein however, it could be argued that he would also be reducing tax cuts for the middle class.  It would be difficult however, since these votes came in 2003, when President Bush had authorized several large tax cuts for the wealthiest members of America. He voted against a bill which would have increased spending in the amount of $229 billion over ten years for the Idea (SCR 23, Senate Vote #103, 3/26/03). He also did not co-sponsor the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, and he did not vote on the act. This in and of itself is not an odd occurrence however, since many Senators do not vote on every bill to appear before them.

Living Independently In the Community

These particular pieces of legislation do not directly affect me as much as the education programs.  They deal with people whose disabilities are so severe that without the home health care the state provides they would have to reside in nursing homes. With proper training, I will not need this assistance, and can live independently. However, a number of my friends receive this sort of assistance, and so the candidates’ views on this issue are just as important to me for their sakes.

Obama:
Obama is a cosponsor of the Community Choice Act of 2007.  This act allows those people eligible for disability services that would normally be provided by a nursing home/assisted living centers to choose to have those services brought to them in their homes. (S.799, 110th Congress). Obama also is a co-sponsor of the Community Living Assistance Support and Services Act (Class) which would allow those individuals with functional impairments to pay for the services they need to maximize their independence (S.1758, 110th Congress).

McCain:
McCain strongly opposes the Community Choice Act.  When asked about it in a town hall meeting in Denver he said, “The Community Choice Act is not a piece of legislation that I support.” (7/7/08)

Health Care for Americans with Disabilities

Obama:
Obama plans to enact universal health care by the end of his first term in office, which would cover people with disabilities. Under this law, insurance companies could not deny people coverage even if they had a preexisting condition, which is the main reason people with disabilities aren’t covered by traditional insurance. In the Senate, he has supported the expansion, as well as the reauthorization, of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (Ship) as well as health care programs for people with disabilities and veterans.

Obama is also a co-sponsor of ending the Medicare Waiting Period Act of 2007.  Under this act, people with disabilities must receive Social Security Disability Insurance for up to 24 months before they can be insured.  Because of this, an estimated 400,000 people with disabilities are not currently insured at a time when they need health coverage the most. During the waiting period, it is perfectly probable that the disabled person will develop secondary conditions, leading to the worsening of their health. Obama supports legislation that would phase out this harmful bill.  

McCain:
McCain’s health care plan does not prohibit discrimination of individuals with disabilities. Under McCain’s plan, the government would work with states to develop best practice models for covering those individuals who have previously been denied coverage. However, it does not explicitly prohibit discrimination, which could easily provide a loop hole to many insurance companies. McCain also voted against the reauthorization of Ship, which would have provided health care to 3.2 million uninsured children and renew coverage for the six million already eligible. A good number of those children would be children with disabilities. This issue is extremely important, since many mainstream insurance programs will not ensure people with preexisting conditions. This means that many disabled children are forced to rely on government insurance programs.

Some people might argue that this information seems unfairly biased toward Obama, and it is true that in the votes on these important issues, it does seem as if Obama more readily supports those with disabilities. This is not to say that McCain has not voted in favor of people with disabilities. These are only the votes and plans concerning a few issues which face people with disabilities. I do not even believe, as many do within the disability community, that McCain’s votes against these issues signals his indifference or dislike of people with disabilities.  Rather, I believe, his votes reflect the Republican philosophy, which often opposes government intervention as well as social welfare programs. However, it does concern me to think of Senator McCain residing in the White House because many of the programs which he voted against are vital to our survival and in achieving maximum independence as a community.