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A month ago, JFA asked readers to contact presidential candidates to encourage their prompt responses to a list of questions sent to them by ADAPT, AAPD, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) that reflect the issues most important to the disability community (see below). When we wrote them, we asked candidates to respond with their answers by May 31, 2007, and we need your help to remind them of this upcoming deadline.

Once we receive their responses, we will send them out over JFA and other national listservs as well as post them on our websites to help educate our members as to where the candidates stand on a number of disability issues.

WHEN: Act now!! The deadline for candidates' responses is May 31, 2007.

WHAT TO DO:

• Contact the candidates' campaigns.
• Tell them that knowing where the candidates stand on disability rights is important to you.
• Ask them to have the candidates respond to the ADAPT / AAPD / NCIL / SABE list of questions that was sent to them in April.
• Ask them to send responses electronically to Anne Sommers at aapdanne@earthlink.net.

See the list of candidates and their official websites.

Visit the candidates’ websites for their contact information. Most sites provide phone numbers, mailing addresses, and online forms in which you can enter questions or concerns. Use one or all of these methods to communicate with each candidate. Feel free to copy/paste the list of questions and the cover letter into the online form or print them off and mail them or fax them.

If they say they have not yet received the information, offer to provide them with a copy of the cover letter and the questions, and be prepared to fax, email, or hard copy mail it to them. We would love for them to receive multiple copies of the questions to create top-of-mind awareness and make our issues hard to ignore.

April 5, 2007

Dear Presidential Candidate,

We write on behalf of ADAPT, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) to explore your policy agenda as it would effect the more than 50 million Americans with disabilities. All four of our national, cross- disability membership organizations are nonpartisan and share the goal of self-determination and full participation in all aspects of society for our community.

In an effort to inform our members of the candidates' policy priorities and concerns, ADAPT, AAPD, NCIL, and SABE have created questions that address the issues most important to our members. We would like candidates to respond to these questions with the intention of sharing candidates' answers not only to our own members but also beyond our membership bases by posting the responses on our websites and circulating the responses over our national email listservs.

Please respond to the attached list of questions as soon as possible but no later than May 31, 2007. Please send responses electronically to Anne Sommers at aapdanne@earthlink.net. Feel free to address any questions or concerns to us directly using the information provided below.

Thank you for your attention and concern.

Respectfully,

Bob Kafka (Organizer, ADAPT)
Andrew J. Imparato (President & CEO, AAPD)
John A. Lancaster (Executive Director, NCIL)
Julie Petty (Chair, SABE)

CANDIDATE QUESTIONS:

1. POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
   1. Do you support the creation and appointment of a permanent Assistant to the President for Disability Policy at the White House?
   2. How will you make sure qualified people with disabilities will be a part of your political team and, if elected, as part of your administration?
   
   
2. EMPLOYMENT
   1. What steps would you take to reduce employment barriers and improve employment outcomes for Americans with disabilities?
   2. How would you reform the federal income support programs (Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance) so that beneficiaries enjoy a greater standard of living and participate more fully in the labor market?
   3. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, between 1993 and 2004, federal workers with significant disabilities left the federal workforce at rate more than seven times the general reduction in the federal workforce during that period. What actions would you take to ensure that qualified workers with disabilities are given meaningful opportunities to participate in the federal workforce at all levels?
   
   
3. HEALTH CARE for ALL
   1. What steps would you take to ensure that people with disabilities have access to affordable, quality health care that is responsive to their individual needs?
   2. How or will you use managed care principles to deliver healthcare services?
   3. How would you improve the quality of health and rehabilitation services provided to veterans with disabilities?
   4. How would you improve the quality of health and rehabilitation services provided to Native Americans with disabilities? Do you support the reauthorization of the Indian Healthcare Act?
   5. How will you assure people with disabilities have fair access to Medicare Part D prescriptions?
   6. How will you address the inequities caused by the Medicare "homebound" rule?
   7. Do you support ongoing Congressional efforts to ensure mental health parity in health insurance (S. 558, H.R. 1367)?
   
   
4. LONG TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS
   1. How would you address America's increasing need for home and community-based long-term services and supports (such as personal assistance services, respite care, and other supports)?
      1. Do you support the Community Choice Act of 2007 (S. 799, H.R. 1621) and/or the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act of 2007 (CLASS Act of 2007)?
      2. What other steps would you take to help states implement the Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision and help address the institutional bias in the current Medicaid system?
   2. Will you propose integrating acute and long term services by using integrated managed care principles?
   3. How will you address the shortage of community direct care attendants?
   4. How will you address the lack of coordination between Medicare and Medicaid policies?
   
   
5. HOUSING
   1. What would you do to increase the availability of affordable, accessible, integrated housing opportunities in the community for low and moderate income people with disabilities and their families?
   2. How will you assure the vigorous implementation of all Fair Housing laws?
   3. How will you assure that HUD implements programs that will assist states in complying with the Olmstead decision?
   
   
   
6. TRANSPORTATION
   1. What would you do to expand access to affordable, accessible transportation for people with disabilities, especially in rural areas?
   
   
7. EDUCATION
   1. How would you ensure that students with disabilities are included within and accommodated as part of the accountability measures of No Child Left Behind?
   2. Do you support full federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
   3. What ideas do you have for strengthening federal enforcement of IDEA?
   4. What ideas do you have for increasing the high school graduation rate of students served by IDEA?
   5. How would you improve services for students transitioning from school to employment? From high school to higher education?
   
   
8. TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
   1. Do you support legislative measures to require that Internet technologies be made accessible to and usable by people with disabilities?
   2. What measures would you propose to ensure that consumer electronic and telecommunications devices are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities?
   3. How would you ensure enforcement of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act?
   4. Would you support restoration of full funding for the Technology-related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act programs?
   
   
9. VOTING
   1. What steps would you take as President to ensure that voters with disabilities are able to vote privately and independently, consistent with the requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)?
      
   2. Would you require the Census Bureau, in its surveys of people with disabilities, to ask questions regarding whether the respondents are registered to vote and whether they voted in the last election?
   
   
10. CIVIL RIGHTS
    1. Of the existing members of the U.S. Supreme Court, which justices do you consider models for the kinds of federal judges you would appoint if elected president?
       
    2. Do you support an ADA Restoration Act, such as the bill introduced in the last Congress?
    3. What steps will you take to protect the diminishment of the civil rights protections under the ADA?
    
    
11. INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
    1. Do you support U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol?