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AAPD, ADAPT, NCIL, SABE Questionnaire – Senator Barack Obama Response

June 1, 2007

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?
      

      Yes.
      
      

   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?

      Individuals with disabilities are an essential part of communities throughout this country, and I believe that receiving input from persons with disabilities is of utmost importance for government leaders. I am committed to ensuring that more job opportunities are provided to individuals with disabilities and that includes hiring people with disabilities on my campaign staff and, if elected, as part of my Administration.

2. EMPLOYMENT
   1. What steps would you take to reduce employment barriers and improve employment outcomes for Americans with disabilities?

      The barriers that workers with disabilities face in the labor market and workplace are complicated, interrelated, and stubborn. It will take strong leadership from a President dedicated to increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities in order to define our goals, marshal the necessary resources, bridge bureaucratic and programmatic boundaries, and lead employers, service providers, and people with disabilities into the future.

      I recently met a 22 year-old woman with disabilities in New Hampshire. She spoke about her disabilities that have greatly affected her life, with symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis. Her requests were simple – she wanted to work and do those things that people with healthy bodies often take for granted. I am committed to making sure that those simple requests are honored. My goal is to increase the employment rate among workers with disabilities so that it is as close as possible to the employment rate for all American workers. Achieving this goal will require several steps.

      First, we must recognize that with proper support, people with disabilities are strong contributors to society. All Americans, regardless of disability, deserve a dignified life, and there are many government programs that are essential to this commitment. I am a strong supporter of the 1965 Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act, which facilitates government purchase of products made by blind and severely disabled Americans. I have worked closely with the Chicago Lighthouse (a nonprofit serving the blind that manufactures office products) to strengthen this legislation. And I have called on the Government Accountability Office to investigate the federal government’s compliance with the Act’s mandates.

      Second, we must increase educational opportunities for the disabled. What you learn plays an important role in what you earn and whether you are employed. Yet students with disabilities are more likely to drop out of high school and, even if they finish high school, are less likely to pursue four-year college degrees. We must fund IDEA and increase the emphasis in secondary schools on students’ transition planning for college. And we must provide the necessary funding for Vocational Rehabilitation and Pell Grants to support students with disabilities seeking college degrees.

      Third, we must solve our health care crisis. One of the most important barriers to workers with disabilities seeking and keeping jobs is the uncertainty associated with the employer-based health insurance system. For adults with disabilities, no health insurance can mean irrevocable physical and mental health deterioration because they need regular care and supervision of their conditions by doctors and specialists. Without health insurance, they must pay for these services out of pocket and, as a result, might forego or delay the medical care they need. Yet 45 million Americans currently have no health insurance. A smaller percentage of workers currently have employer-provided health insurance than had it in 1987. A smaller percentage of employers provide health insurance. And the costs of health insurance to workers have risen. Assuring that people with disabilities can have jobs with health insurance will be a critical step to increasing their opportunities to find employment. That is why I am committed to signing a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office and having a plan that will lower premium costs for a typical family by $2,500.

      Fourth, we must strengthen our civil rights laws to protect disabled Americans from employment discrimination. I am committed to funding and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as strengthening other legislation to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in the workplace.

      Finally, I will direct my administration to increase the employment of workers with disabilities during my first term. I will also use the authority provided to the President, as well as my bully pulpit, to encourage private-sector employers to increase their hiring of workers with disabilities. Among other things, private-sector employers should be encouraged to increase their use of existing tax benefits like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to hire more workers 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?

      In addition to increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities to match, as close as possible, the employment rate among all workers, I believe firmly that we must assure that people with disabilities who cannot support themselves through work have adequate income and health insurance to sustain dignified lives. Any reform of the SSDI and SSI programs must satisfy both of these goals.

      First, delays in benefit determinations must be drastically reduced. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has been consistently underfunded, resulting in unconscionable delays for individuals applying for the Social Security Supplement Security Income (SSI) program. I am committed to both increasing SSI administrative funding and streamlining the current application and appeals procedures to reduce the confusion that surrounds this important program.

      Second, we must assure that beneficiaries who are willing to seek employment and leave the SSDI or SSI rolls have access to affordable, reliable health insurance coverage. Again, lack of reliable and comprehensive health insurance is one of the reasons people with disabilities who might work seek benefits from SSDI and SSI and do not leave the rolls. My health care plan provides access to good quality health insurance for all.

      Third, by amending the ADA and otherwise pushing employers to provide accommodations to their employees with disabilities, we can decrease the number of workers who leave the labor market after experiencing an impairment. We can prevent workers seeking SSDI by endeavoring to find ways to keep them in their workplaces.

      Fourth, we must revisit the Ticket to Work Act to assess whether it has succeeded in providing SSDI beneficiaries with the supports they need to transition into work.

      Finally, I am eager to find strategies that will help young people transition from school to work rather than from school to SSI. Full funding of IDEA will help with this process, but there is more we can do.

   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?

      I believe that qualified workers with disabilities should have the same opportunities as other workers. I am committed to funding and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as strengthening other legislation to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in the workplace.

      I also believe that the federal government should be a model employer of workers with disabilities. I will direct all of my department and agency heads to bring their agencies into full compliance with all aspects of the Rehabilitation Act. To assure that the federal government holds itself to high anti-discrimination standards, I will increase funding to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and assure that the person I appoint to Chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is committed to enforcing anti-discrimination laws that protect federal employees through a strong Office of Federal Operations. Perhaps most important, I will provide leadership to my appointees throughout the executive branch so that they, employers in the private sector, and workers with disabilities across the country will understand the importance of this issue.
      
      

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 needs?

      As president, I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office. I will modernize the U.S. health care system to improve quality and reduce costs by $2,500 for a typical family. And I will increase investment in public health to prepare and protect Americans against emerging health threats and to reduce rates of preventable diseases.

      My plan will cover the uninsured and lower costs to families and businesses. I will allow people who do not have access to group coverage through their employers or public programs (such as Medicaid, SCHIP, and Medicare) to buy into a national pool, which will offer a new public plan similar to the one I have as a member of Congress, and private plans that offer comprehensive benefits and meet quality standards. Federal subsidies will be made available to those who need it, to make coverage more affordable. And employers will have access to reinsurance to protect them from volatile and high increases in the cost of insurance. Finally, my plan will mandate health insurance coverage for every child in America.

      My health care reform plan recognizes that although all Americans are affected by problems with our health care delivery system, certain patient populations are significantly more likely to experience difficulties gaining access to health care and to receive lower quality health care. I will require that all health care providers collect, analyze and report data on the quality of health care given to vulnerable populations, including those with disabilities, to ensure appropriate care and good health outcomes. My plan also emphasizes care coordination and integration, which is particularly important for individuals with disabilities who often have multiple providers. Last but not least, I will support additional training of health care workers so that they are better able to address the needs of disabled populations.

   2. How or will you use managed care principles to deliver healthcare services?

      Important medical decisions should be made between patients and doctors, and my health care reform plan will ensure that insurers do not prevent disabled Americans from getting the care they need. My plan will constrain costs and adopt those managed care principles that work, such as the use of modern health information technology, disease management, care coordination and drug price negotiation, to achieve health care quality improvement and savings in the system that can directly benefit individuals and families through lower premiums. My plan will not contain costs at the expense of quality of care. To the contrary, my plan will both reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care.

   3. How would you improve the quality of health and rehabilitation services provided to veterans with disabilities?
      

      I believe we need to care for our veterans with disabilities with the same commitment they demonstrated on the battle field. I am committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will not be under-funded like the current VA. I will establish an independent team to accurately estimate the future needs and costs associated with our returning service members and their families – so we'll never have to stomach another budgeting process that cuts costs on the backs of veterans.

      This VA will be built around the principle that any service-connected injury – whether to the body, to the mind, to the service member or to the family member – represents a call to respond from our nation. It will not attempt to treat an eye injury, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a second-tier wound. Our review systems and dollar investments in this new VA would be geared in favor of the service member. I will ensure that any returning service member has the necessary job training and education opportunities when they get ready to begin the next chapter of their lives.

   In Illinois, I worked with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to force the VA to notify veterans in Illinois and other states traditionally underserved about their right to seek a review of their past claims. The resulting outreach led to significant numbers of Illinois veterans getting the benefits they deserve.

   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?
      

      Yes, I strongly support reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. I am an original cosponsor of the bill, which is expected to pass the Senate this year.

      As President, I would increase funding for a variety of tribal health care programs that have been cut under the Bush Administration. This includes fully funding clinical services, and restoring funds for programs such as the Urban Indian Healthcare Program. Second, Native Americans, including those with disabilities, will be able to participate in my universal health care plan which will provide high-quality health care services. I am aware, however, that universal health care for everyone does not mean equal access to healthcare for everyone. One of the major problems facing American Indians is a chronic lack of basic health care facilities. I am committed to investing the necessary resources into health care infrastructure. This includes providing funding for health care workers, and requiring compliance from plans that do not meet performance thresholds.

   5. How will you assure people with disabilities have fair access to Medicare Part D prescriptions?
      

      I am committed to ensuring that Americans with disabilities receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. I have worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that Medicare recipients are protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents. I also support efforts to improve coordination between Medicaid and Medicare so that individuals with disabilities who are enrolled in both programs do not face additional administrative barriers when seeking prescription drug benefits.

      We must also reduce inefficient federal spending on the Medicare Part D benefit to invest more money into improving our national health care system. Drug spending has quintupled over the last five years and now costs us almost $200 billion. We need to reduce drug spending by enabling the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices, clear barriers to generic competition, allowing the safe importation of drugs, and giving consumers the information to make smart purchasing decisions.

   6. How will you address the inequities caused by the Medicare “homebound” rule?

      I support amending the Medicare “homebound” rule so that those with severe disabilities have the freedom to leave their homes without fear of having their government benefits taken away. I believe that our Medicare policy must reflect the common sense notion that community engagement and support is a vital component of a meaningful life. I look forward to amending the law to remove arbitrary measures of “acceptable” time away from home and further ensure that individuals do not have benefits removed unfairly.

   7. Do you support ongoing Congressional efforts to ensure mental health parity in health insurance (S.558, H.R. 1367)?

      Yes. I championed similar legislation in the state of Illinois and I have cosponsored S. 558.

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)?

      I believe the federal government must take a larger role in transitioning our long-term care system from institutions to home and community-based settings. I support efforts to improve federal funding and administrative support to states and the private sector to accomplish the goal of providing quality long-term care in home and community settings to all Americans who need such services.

      I have also worked to ensure that states and cities have adequate plans in place to care for special-needs populations. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, my legislation to require that states properly plan to evacuate special needs individuals during times of crisis passed Congress. I believe that this is only the first step in ensuring that the most vulnerable individuals in local and national emergencies are adequately safeguarded.

      I have sponsored legislation to provide a traumatic injury protection rider to servicemembers insured under the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program. I sponsored legislation in Illinois requiring an emergency evacuation plan for every high-rise structure for the safe and timely evacuation of people with disabilities.

      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)?
         
         Yes.
         
         
      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?

         We still have considerable progress to make in ensuring that Americans with disabilities have the rights affirmed to them in the Olmstead v. L.C. decision. In addition to supporting the Community Choice Act of 2007 and the CLASS Act of 2007, I believe that we should further incentivize states to provide Americans with disabilities the ability to choose the most appropriate care for their individual needs. The federal government should help states increase the supply of high-quality community settings for individuals with disabilities by providing additional grants for new communities and community expansions. Second, we should help improve the quality of those settings by providing more transparency of the settings’ performance.

         We must use technology to make community-based living a reality for more people with disabilities. For this reason, I support elimination of the in-the-home Medicare exclusion which deprives people with disabilities of assistive technologies they need simply because those technologies might be used beyond the thresholds of their homes. I also support the Fostering Independence Through Technology Act for the same reason – it offers 21st century solutions to stubborn barriers for people with disabilities.

   2. Will you propose integrating acute and long-term services by using integrated managed care principles?
      
      Yes.
      
      
   3. How will you address the shortage of community direct care attendants?

      I support the Community Choice Act of 2007 and its provisions to both increase the number of community direct care attendants and ensure high-quality care for Americans with disabilities. The shortage of community direct care attendants is related to shortages in other sectors of the economy – low pay, limited or no benefits and inflexible working hours. I support increasing the minimum wage to provide a working wage to direct care attendants, as well as providing them in addition to all other Americans access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. I also support expanding the Family Medical Leave Act to include more workers and improve the support given to workers who have dependants at home. I believe that these measures will go a long way to improving the supply and job satisfaction of community direct care attendants. I also believe that we should strengthen ties between community direct care settings and federal, state and local job training programs to ensure that individuals receive information about job openings.

   4. How will you address the lack of coordination between Medicare and Medicaid policies?

      Too many Medicare and Medicaid “dual eligibles” are subject to time-consuming and complicated administrative processes that delay access to care and can result in lower quality care. This administrative problem is compounded by the increased health needs of the dual eligibles population. Although CMS has taken steps to alleviate these problems, I believe more should be done. I support streamlining the benefits process for individuals with disabilities so that people receive the care they require in a timely manner. Both programs should give individuals with disabilities more information about the care they are entitled to receive under both programs, so decisions about care can be made in a unified manner. I also believe that the demonstration projects that the Community Choice Act of 2007 seeks to create to improve coordination between benefits received by dual Medicaid and Medicare recipients are an important step to undertake in addressing this problem.

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?

      In too many communities, low-income families are priced out of the housing market. Between 1993 and 2003, the number of units affordable to low-income households fell by 1.2 million. As president, I will create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods. The Fund will use a small percentage of the profits of two government-sponsored housing agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to create up to 14,000 new units of affordable housing every year.

      A family’s most important investment is their home. However, there is a growing epidemic of mortgage fraud crimes in which sophisticated scam artists use elaborate scams to cheat homeowners out of their mortgages. I introduced legislation that would increase funding for federal law enforcement programs, create new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and require industry insiders to report suspicious activity. In the Illinois state legislature, I cosponsored a bill creating the High Risk Home Loan Act to protect borrowers who enter into high risk home loans. As president, I will fight to ensure more Americans can achieve and protect the dream of home ownership. I also support increasing federal support for affordable rental housing, and recently called for a new Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build up to 14,000 additional units each year for lower-income individuals in mixed-income neighborhoods.

      In the Illinois Senate, I was also the chief cosponsor of a bill including disabled persons within the provisions granting an assessment freeze homestead exception to senior citizens.
      

   2. How will you assure the vigorous implementation of all Fair Housing Laws?

      As a former civil rights lawyer, I understand firsthand the importance of ensuring that all Americans have the same opportunities and rights. Unfortunately, as we know all too well, even with strong constitutional and federal mandates to provide equal opportunity, too many individuals have their civil rights infringed. I believe that we must ensure that the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity within the Department of Housing and Urban Development is adequately funded and staffed so that the Office is able to fully investigate all meaningful discrimination claims made by individuals with disabilities.

   3. How will you assure that HUD implements programs that will assist states in complying with the Olmstead decision?
      

      I support building on President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative to improve the supply of affordable housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. First, I believe that housing assistance should ensure that individuals with disabilities have a greater choice as to where and how they can use their housing benefits. Second, I support efforts, such as the Community Choice Act of 2007, to improve the federal funding under the Medicaid program for individuals to live in home or community-based settings. I also support examining additional approaches to incentivize states to increase the supply of affordable, safe and quality housing for individuals with disabilities.

6. TRANSPORTATION
   1. What would you do to expand access to affordable, accessible transportation for people with disabilities, especially in rural areas?

      Congress must enact pending transportation reauthorization legislation without further delay and make provisions for accessible options for individuals with disabilities. This includes highway, mass transit, commuter rail, and air transportation improvements.

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?

      The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is the right one – ensuring that all children can meet high standards – but the law has significant flaws that need to be addressed. Unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Department of Education, and shortcomings in the design of the law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut its support among many people who care deeply about our schools and our students. I would reform and fund No Child Left Behind and add specific provisions for programs for students with disabilities. This includes early and targeted instruction and hiring highly qualified general and special education teachers. States, school districts and schools must continue to measure and report the academic performance of students with disabilities. This is why I fully support the IDEA Act.

   2. Do you support full federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

      This is one of my top educational priorities. I will fight to increase federal funding levels, and actively solicit the support of both Republicans and Democrats that are watching efforts at school improvement falter as school districts layoff teachers and much needed programs. The federal government is supposed to shoulder 40 percent of each state’s “excess cost” of educating children with disabilities, but currently we are less than halfway there (17 percent) because Congress has never lived up to this obligation. Children are the ones who are being shortchanged. Schools should not be forced to choose between salaries for effective teachers and special education for students who need that support. Fully funding IDEA will help to relieve that burden by supplying the necessary dollars to boost the quality and range of the services available.

   3. What ideas do you have for strengthening federal enforcement of IDEA?

      I have consistently supported legislation that would increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act. In 2005, I supported legislation that would provide $4 billion in additional funding for IDEA. I also voted for waiving the Budget Act to consider the Byrd amendment, which would provide $5 billion for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. In 2005, I voted for creating a reserve fund that would provide $71.3 billion for special education programs under IDEA. I will work to increase that a meaningful portion of the funding increases for IDEA are targeted to enforcement of the Act’s mandates.

      The success of IDEA depends upon parents, children, and school officials working closely together to shape an appropriate individual education plan (IEP). This should be a cooperative effort. But in order to ensure that school districts invest sufficient attention and resources in this effort, parents must have the ability to bring legal action to enforce their rights and their children’s rights. I strongly supported the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Winkelman v. Parma (Ohio) City School District which acknowledged parents’ authority to bring pro se claims under IDEA.

   4. What ideas do you have for increasing the high school graduation rate of students served by IDEA?

      Requirements determining graduation rates should include adequate yearly progress reports, but these must be enhanced in order to produce substantial and consistent improvement in graduation rates for students served by IDEA.

   5. How would you improve services for students transitioning from school to employment? From high school to higher education?

      In order to make college more accessible and affordable for students, I will increase federal college loans and free up money for student aid. The first bill I introduced in the U.S. Senate would help make college more affordable for many Americans. The bill would increase the maximum Pell Grant from the current limit of $4,050 to a new maximum of $5,100. In February 2007, Congress passed and President Bush signed into law legislation to increase federal Pell grants to $4,310. I also want to reform college loans to make more money available for student aid. There are two federal college loan programs. The first allows students to borrow directly from the government, and the second gives private banks federal subsidies to make government-backed student loans. Privately funded loans are much more expensive to the federal government, which is why I support legislation to shift more loans to the Direct Loan program and use the savings to invest in grant aid to students.

      I support the creation of high-paying, secure jobs. I believe we need to increase federal funding for basic research, expand the deployment of broadband technology, and make the research and development tax credit permanent so that businesses can invest in innovation and create more and better jobs for students transitioning from school to employment.

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?
      
      Yes.
      
      
   2. What measures would you propose to ensure that consumer electronic and telecommunications devices are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities?

      I strongly support reducing barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from making beneficial use of new technologies. I believe that government can provide incentives for the private sector to make consumer technologies more accessible by both making use of the government’s extensive purchasing power and working with the private sector informally. For example, I will direct my Assistant to the President for Disability Policy to work with the private sector on behalf of individuals with disabilities and also request that the National Council on Disabilities further examine what steps the government can take to improve usage of new technologies by persons with disabilities. In the Illinois Senate, I voted to require telecommunications carriers to provide directory assistance to legally blind customers in their own calling area at no charge.

   3. How would you ensure enforcement of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act?
      

      Effective enforcement of these laws will begin with the next President communicating his strong support for the goals and spirit of these laws to the leadership of the executive branch departments and agencies, including the President’s appointees to the Federal Communications Commission, and to federal employees with disabilities. That is where I will begin.

      I believe that the federal government should be a model employer of workers with disabilities. I will direct my department and agency heads to bring their organizations into full compliance with Section 508. And I will establish a management system through the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to assure that they comply and have the necessary resources to comply.

      But equally important, the federal government should be innovative in using technology both to enable a significant increase in the number of workers with disabilities hired by the federal government and the productivity of incumbent federal employees. The Defense Department’s Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program is a model in this regard.

      I will also appoint FCC Commissioners who share my commitment to enforcing Section 255 and other laws that make technology accessible to all people with disabilities. The FCC should be engaged in a continuing dialogue with manufacturers, including enforcement actions where necessary, to assure that they incorporate universal design principles into all telecommunications products. To the extent feasible, existing technologies should also be made accessible to people with disabilities.

   4. Would you support restoration of full funding for the Technology-related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act programs?
      
      

      Yes. Assistive technologies are an essential component of strategies for increasing workers with disabilities’ employment rate and making independent living possible for people with disabilities. State Assistive Technology Programs, National Technical Assistance, the National Internet Site, and the Protection and Advocacy Assistive Technology program are important efforts to increase knowledge about assistive technologies and make these technologies readily available. Full funding is needed to assure that a wide variety of services are provided through these programs, including training and technical assistance, information and referral services, activities to promote coordination and collaboration at the state level, cooperative or bulk buying programs, assisting people with disabilities who can’t afford to take a loan with funding, and providing help with finding and leveraging other funding sources for assistive technologies. For this reason, I support full funding.

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)?

      Americans with disabilities would be amongst the most disenfranchised by recent efforts to require mandatory photo ID at polling places. More than 3 million Americans with disabilities lack a government-issued form of identification. I opposed unreasonable voter identification requirements and believe that the constitutional rights of individuals with disabilities should be safeguarded. I also support fully funding HAVA so that we can ensure that all of its provisions are properly implemented.
      

   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?
      
      Yes.
      
      
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?

       Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.
       
       

    2. Do you support an ADA Restoration Act, such as the bill introduced in the last Congress?

       Yes.

    3. What steps will you take to protect the diminishment of the civil rights protections under the ADA?
       

       As a former civil rights lawyer, I know firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. I am committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. I believe we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation.

       In addition, I will appoint judges and justices who respect Congress’ role as a co-equal, democratically elected branch of government. The Supreme Court’s interpretations of the ADA have shown disrespect for Congress’ intent and frustrated the law’s goals of fully integrating people with disabilities into society. The ADA declared that people with disabilities are welcome throughout American society. They should not be restricted to disabilities ghettoes like “mental institutions.” The ADA assumed, rather than doubted, that people with disabilities can be productive workers contributing to our economy and the support of their families. Perhaps most important, the ADA was a formal acknowledgment that people with disabilities are American citizens with the same rights as other Americans: a right to belong, a right to participate fully in the American experience, and a right to dignity and respect in the workplace and beyond. I do not believe that the Supreme Court should have blunted this essential message of liberty and inclusion. The judges and justices I appoint will not.

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 Protocal?

       Yes. I believe that the rights of the estimated 650 million individuals with disabilities worldwide must be protected. I support the United States ratification of this important measure.