Advocates for people with disabilities are hopeful following President Obama’s second inaugural speech, which included language that specifically addressed parents of children with disabilities and affirmed the president’s commitment to preserving Social Security and Medicaid programs.
On the national holiday honoring the birth of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., the highlight of the speech for many was the president’s acknowledgement of the struggle for civil rights shared by ethnic groups, women and gays (which also happens to be the same coalition credited for Obama’s margin of victory last November). Even though people with disabilities don’t have a geographical landmark that falls nicely into his alliterative “Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall” reference (found on page 3 of The Washington Post transcript), the president left no doubt these individuals were included under the umbrella of “those principles that our common creed describes; tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice.”
Human dignity was the specific rubric where Obama found cause to reference people with disabilities. As the nation still struggles with high unemployment and sluggish economic growth, the meaty portion of the president’s speech began with a familiar call for an America where “every person can find independence and pride in their work” without sacrificing social safety nets that help the underserved:
We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity… For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn…We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may face a job loss or a sudden illness or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our initiative. They strengthen us.
Many groups that advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities, among other services, are in agreement with the president’s positions on these programs. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in a budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) helped galvanize opposition to Mitt Romney’s candidacy when Ryan was added to the GOP presidential ticket. The congressman remains chairman of the House Budget Committee, so he is sure to be a major player in upcoming negotiations on the federal budget.
Have you seen programs like Medicaid and SSDI help make life matter for people with disabilities and their families? Share in the comments section.
Image by Glyn Lowe Photoworks.