It is with gratitude and humility that I’d like to share some news with you – I’ve been elected to serve as one of the 11 District-level Delegates representing Vermont at the Democratic National Convention.
I sought this role for two reasons: to help create and propose a vigorous platform on disability issues for the Democratic Party, and to help Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders become president, given his relentless, long-term commitment to people with disabilities.
As the mother of a daughter on the autism spectrum, as member and chair of the all-volunteer Vermont Autism Task Force, and as an attorney whose practice focuses on special needs law, both my personal and my professional life have centered around making life for people with disabilities and their families as fulfilling as possible.
Despite the significant progress our nation has made in serving the needs of Americans with disabilities, we are by no means near meeting such core goals as securing a meaningful education for these citizens, nor are they yet provided with the training and support services essential to the full development of their talents and their integration into the workforce or their community. More also needs to be done to address the needs of families who care for a loved one with a disability.
In an effort to develop effective public policy, individuals with disabilities are our most valuable resource, for no one knows better than they what in the system works and what’s broken. Their lives are impacted directly by decision-makers, and their voices should and must be heard. Parents of people with disabilities can also provide much-needed guidance, as can professionals who work with the disability community and who can see the patterns of success and failure in existing systems.
Your input is essential to the development of a meaningful platform on disability issues. Each of us brings to the discussion a unique body of insights and experiences, and the better-informed decision-makers are, the better the public policy they will develop.
Please note that I am not affiliated with the Bernie Sanders campaign. My goal is to summarize your responses and submit a proposal to Bernie Sanders campaign for consideration as platform items for the Democratic Party.
Would you please take a few minutes to respond to the survey?
