Disability advocates mobilizing here in Texas

Last month, the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin played host to the Civil Rights Summit, a three-day event in which experts and advocates from across the nation came together to discuss issues related to everything from immigration and race to gender and same-sex equality.

However, noticeably absent from the conference, which featured speeches by President Barack Obama, three former U.S. presidents and host of other notable speakers, were advocates representing the disabled.

Disability advocates -- representing the roughly 57 million disabled people here in the U.S. -- took notice and immediately called upon the conference organizers to include disability rights on the agenda.

Specifically, they pointed out how the disabled are continually confronted with barriers that violate their civil rights despite the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act. These barriers include workplace discrimination, a lack of accessible housing, a funding shortfall for community services and low pay for professional caretakers.

While event organizers acknowledged their omission and asked a prominent disability rights advocate to speak on a social justice panel, advocates are now using the experience to galvanize public support and encourage long-overdue political action among the disabled community.

"Disability rights are civil rights," said a spokesperson with the advocacy group ADAPT of Texas. "We thought it was a given. This whole thing highlighted that we still are late being invited to the party."

To that end, ADAPT of Texas -- which has been instrumental in introducing real change for the disabled here in the Lone Star State -- has launched a Disability Voting Action Project designed to help more of the state's three million disabled people register to vote and ensure transportation to the polls on election days.

The group is also planning to administer a survey to every candidate for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in the upcoming elections and share their answers with all disabled voters. These same politicians will also be invited to speak at a conference to be held in the fall.

Finally, arrangements are being made to commemorate the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the ADA.  

Here's hoping that these efforts prove successful, and that both state and federal lawmakers take notice and take action ...

If your disability has left you unable to work and you have been unable to secure Social Security disability benefits despite your best efforts, you should strongly consider speaking with an experienced legal professional dedicated to protecting your rights and your best interests.

Source: The Austin American-Statesman, "The disabled demand to be heard," Andrea Ball, May 7, 2014