People with disabilities make up a potentially potent political coalition: A study this month from two Rutgers professors projected that more than 35 million people with disabilities would be eligible to vote this year — roughly one-sixth of the electorate. More than a quarter of the electorate either has a disability or shares a household with someone who does, the study estimated. And they are represented fairly equally in both parties.
On Wednesday Mrs. Clinton discussed her vision for an “inclusive economy” with expanded job opportunities for what she called “a group of Americans who are, too often, invisible, overlooked and undervalued — who have so much to offer, but are given far too few chances to prove it.
“That’s been true for a long time,” she said, “and we have to change it.”
“Whether they can participate in our economy and lead rich, full lives that are as healthy and productive as possible is a reflection on us as a country,” she said in a gymnasium at a youth center here.
And she described what she viewed as the “ultimate test” of a society: “how we treat our fellow human beings, especially the most vulnerable among us.”
To read the entire NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/us/politics/hillary-clinton-speech.html
Eligible voters with disabilities report: http://smlr.rutgers.edu/about-smlr/projecting-number-of-eligible-voters-with-disabilities-in-november-2016-elections-report
