On the Anniversary of the ADA, Demand That Lawmakers Defend Our Care
Written for Smart Girls by Kings Floyd
Today is the 28th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — yet despite the progress that ADA has ushered in, Americans with complex medical needs are still facing extraordinary rates of discrimination from our lawmakers.
And unless they drastically change their agenda, Republican lawmakers, like my own Representative Bruce Poliquin, will have a lot to answer for in this year’s midterm elections.
Despite living in a state with one of the highest populations of Americans with disabilities, Congressman Poliquin has made his priorities clear: profits for big corporations are worth more than the Mainers he claims to represent.
My name is Kings Floyd. I am a twenty-four year old woman, a proud Maine resident, and I have muscular dystrophy, a disability for which I use a power wheelchair as well as personal care assistants.
As a co-chair of an ADAPT chapter and a Health Care Voter, I am one of the millions of Americans demanding that people with disabilities have equal rights and access to the care that helps us to thrive. In Maine, I am one of the many voters who are calling on Congressman Poliquin to defend our rights, something that his campaign history has not supported for disabled voters.
Throughout his time in office, Congressman Poliquin has waged a war on people with disabilities. In just this past year, he routinely voted to slash health funding through legislation like the failed American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the disastrous tax bill. At every turn, he chose personal political gain over the concern of his constituents, disabled or otherwise.
Recently, it was revealed that even his district office was not wheelchair accessible.
One of Congressman Poliquin’s latest attack on Mainers with disabilities took the form of The ADA Education and Reform Act, legislation that promises to strip protections for Americans with disabilities granted under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) of 1990. This move would roll back the progress of disability rights nearly three decades.
While claiming progress, The ADA Education and Reform Act, or H.R. 620, fails to honor the original purpose of the ADA: to further civil rights by making America more accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical limitations.
The legislation would place limits on how people with disabilities can demand equal access to public spaces — including bathrooms, businesses, medical offices, public libraries, and arenas. In its essence, the bill, now moving into the Senate, tears down the penalties for refusing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It rolls back the clock decades, and leaves people with disabilities with fewer legal advocates and avenues for progress.
It also serves a direct hit to the people of Maine.
We are a rural state with a large — and growing — elderly population, and there are over 200,000 people with disabilities living in Maine. For Mainers with disabilities, our high school graduation rate is lower, and our unemployment rate and poverty level are higher. Our state cannot afford to face the blow this legislation would deliver.
At twenty-four years old, I have never lived without the ADA. But even with its protections, I have faced discrimination. I have been turned away from doctors offices, businesses, restaurants with friends. I have also learned to deal with politicians disregard for my community. Discrimination has always been a part of my American experience, but I am especially sorry to see it from my home state, and those elected to represent it.
The 2018 Midterm elections are coming, and we have a powerful opportunity to fight back. To Bruce Poliquin, and to all of the lawmakers who continue to profit off of our challenges: you may ignore our voices, but you will not be able to ignore our votes.
One in five Americans — 20% of the population — have a disability. We are not weaker because of our physical limitations — they have only made us stronger.
We are brave. We are resilient. And in November, we will vote.
Kings Floyd is a disability rights advocate, a co-chair at ADAPT, and a Health Care Voter.
