by Bert Williams

US presidential candidates are under overwhelming pressure to make promises they cannot keep. The fact that a candidate says he or she will do something does not mean the thing will actually get done. This is not because candidates are dishonest. They may have the best of intentions. But once a candidate has moved into the Oval Office, good intentions are eclipsed by reality. The demands on a president’s time and energy are enormous and often simply unmanageable. Furthermore, turning good intentions into effective legislation is often impossible. 

But still, it is worth considering what the current presidential candidates are promising to Americans with disabilities. Intentions, even if they don’t all work out, do provide glimpses into a candidate’s values and ideals.

When it comes to disabilities, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama are in agreement on some of the key issues, but—as might be expected—they set out differing priorities. Through his Web site and in response to interviews, Senator Obama—the Democratic Party’s candidate—has produced extensive and detailed positions on many disabilities issues. Senator McCain—the Republican, and predictably the more conservative in his approach—proposes a smaller and less specific agenda.

For example, Senator Obama supports a bill sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa). The bill is known as the Community Choice Act. It proposes a community-based alternative to nursing homes and institutions for people with disabilities.

Senator McCain opposes the bill, but not because he disagrees with its objectives. “I support the concept of the Community Choice Act,” McCain explained at the National Forum on Disabilities Issues in Columbus, Ohio on July 26, “though I don’t support the current legislation.”

Senator McCain explained that funding the proposal was the deal-breaker for him. “We are laying another trillion dollars of unfunded liability on the next generation,” he said. “The out-of-control spending is what has already mortgaged our children’s future.” Continuing to take a more conservative approach, McCain insisted, “Put the choice in the hands of the individuals needing assistance rather than in the hands of the government.”

Senator Obama, in contrast, believes the federal government can and should do much more for Americans with disabilities. This contrast is in evidence with many of the candidates’ positions. It may not be that one candidate cares more—or less—about people with disabilities. The candidates’ positions have more to do with their overall philosophy of how the country should be governed.

With that as a background, what follows is a sampling of the candidates’ public statements about how the government should meet the needs of Americans with disabilities.

Senator Obama Goes into Detail

In August 2007, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), in collaboration with other organizations interested in these issues, distributed a questionnaire to all presidential candidates (the list of candidates at that time was quite long). Senator Obama responded to the questionnaire. Senator McCain did not.

In his response to the questionnaire, and in later position statements on his Web site, Senator Obama has made the following commitments:
• To provide job opportunities to individuals with disabilities on his campaign staff and, if elected, in his administration.
• To appoint an Assistant to the President for Disability Policy in the White House.
• To work to increase the employment rate of people with disabilities throughout the country.
• To eliminate the uncertainty associated with the employer-based health insurance system, thus creating an environment leading to better health and increased employment for people with disabilities.
• To strengthen civil rights laws to protect disabled Americans from employment discrimination. This includes better enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and promotion of other legislation to ensure equal employment opportunities.
• To reduce delays in benefit determinations for Social Security benefits.
• To assure that those receiving Social Security benefits have continued access to affordable, reliable health insurance if they take a job.
• To assist young people who are disabled in the transition from school to work rather than from school to Social Security benefits.
• To increase funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• To amend the Medicare “homebound” rule, giving those with severe disabilities the freedom to leave their homes without fear of having government benefits taken away.
• To create a larger role for the federal government in transitioning long-term care from institutions to home and community-based settings.
• To support the Community Choice Act.
• To increase the quantity and quality of direct care attendants available for in-home care through increased education, wages, and benefits.
• To create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund that would increase availability of affordable, accessible housing opportunities for low and moderate income people with disabilities, and their families.
• To adequately fund the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
• To fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, thus increasing federal funding levels for educating children with disabilities.
• To increase federal college loans and free up money for student aid to those who are disabled.
• To provide incentives for the private sector to make consumer technologies more accessible to those who are disabled.
• To fully fund the Technology-related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act programs.

Senator McCain Addresses National Forum on Disabilities
The AAPD-sponsored National Forum on Disabilities Issues on July 26, 2008 was broadcast live over the Web through the AAPD Web site.* Both presidential candidates were invited to attend. Rather than attend himself, Senator Obama asked Senator Harkin to represent him at the forum. Senator McCain did not attend in person, but did participate himself via a live satellite uplink from Arizona.

Senator Harkin, a passionate advocate for Americans with disabilities, was eloquent in representing Senator Obama, essentially restating commitments similar to those detailed above.

Senator McCain offered prepared remarks, and then responded to questions. In his initial remarks Senator McCain said, “When men and women with disabilities are excluded from joining fully in the life of our nation, that is an injustice to them and it is a loss to America.”

He noted that he had been a champion of rights for the disabled for many years, citing as evidence the fact that he was a principal co-sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (The eighteenth anniversary of the signing of the ADA was being celebrated on the day of the Forum). Senator McCain further noted that, though the ADA had produced much that was good, much more needs to be done.

“We must remove all doubt,” McCain insisted, “that the law is intended to protect Americans from any kind of discrimination on the basis of a physical or mental disability. . . [We must] assure full protection for those the law is intended to serve.”

Senator McCain said he is glad to see legislation currently coming out of the House of Representatives known as the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and he intends to support a Senate version of the bill. The legislation revises language that has created loopholes in definitions of what a disability is, and it puts more teeth into enforcement of ADA requirements.

“One of the most fundamental principles of all,” said Senator McCain, “is that the presence of a disability should not mean the absence of choice. When the government does its duty by extending aid to Americans with disabilities, it should not do so in a heavy-handed way that restricts personal freedom. I will work to enact legislation that would build on the principles of the ‘Money Follows the Person’ initiative, while also keeping my commitment to a responsible budget. The offer of assistance in living with a disability should not come with the condition of perpetual confinement to an institutional setting. The great goal here should be to increase choices, to expand freedom, to open doors, and to allow citizens with disabilities to live where they want and to go where they wish.”

During the question-and-answer session, Senator McCain discussed employment for people who are disabled. “We often disincentivize Americans from going to work,” he said, referring to the fact that Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare benefits are often diminished or eliminated if a person accepts a job. “A job is more than just a job,” he insisted, noting that work is often a significant piece of one’s personal identity.

In his concluding remarks Senator McCain stated, “I believe our first obligation is to care for people who are not able to care for themselves.”

In this both candidates agree. It will be up to voters to decide which candidate is more likely to successfully meet that obligation.

Bert Williams is editor of Connected.

*To view or hear the entire three-hour event, visit: http://player.broadbandvideo.com/VideoPlayer.asp?Station=disaboom&Id=58702&ShowOrClip=s&MediaType=v&ResizeX=&ResizeY=&CheckPayment