ADAPT reaffirms our position against ableism and the negative stereotypes associated with it. We view holding an individual’s disability against them as an act of violence utilized by counterparts, who in their attempt to gain political power, run their campaigns on an ableist agenda. This type of situation sets the precedent that it is okay to view disability in a negative way.
- It is wrong to make assumptions about someone’s ability to perform a job based solely on disability.
- It is wrong to assume someone is incompetent based on other peoples’ biases towards disability.
Disability is part of life and the Americans with Disabilities Act affirms the use of reasonable accommodations that may be necessary to ensure accessibility to the person with a disability. Job seekers may need accommodations to perform the essential parts of any job. An accommodation is not something that should be looked down upon, rather, it should be viewed as a tool for equity.
John Fetterman, the current PA Lieutenant Governor, ran for reelection for the US Senate. He had a stroke earlier in the year and he is experiencing common symptoms of stroke survivors. As part of the campaign, he was challenged to and agreed to participate in a debate. Mr. Fetterman, who has difficulty with aphasia, struggled at times to get his words out. He used a closed caption television that included the questions and the opponent’s responses on screen. This is an example of a reasonable accommodation. Other potential accommodations could have been changing the format of the debate – for example receiving more time for responses, or not debating, since debating is not a requirement for holding public office.
Instead, take-aways from some people who watched the debate resulted in questions about Mr. Fetterman’s ability to comprehend the information and his ability to do the job of a Senator.
A disability does not equal incomprehension or incompetence. It does not make Mr. Fetterman less able to do the job. He stated that he is still making progress with his recovery and he is able to do the job. His doctor agrees. The ability to respond in the debate format is not an indicator of a person’s intelligence or fitness for a job. The negativity towards Mr. Fetterman as a result of the debate performance is ableism, and for every person who has experienced a disability, it’s an all too common problem.
“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”
-Stephen Hawking
ADAPT is a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom.
