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November 2, 2007 By Holly Ramer MANCHESTER, N.H. - Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd talked up his commitment to people with disabilities Friday with help from a personal source of inspiration: his sister. Carolyn Dodd, a retired teacher who is visually impaired and uses a cane, introduced her younger brother at a forum sponsored by Granite State Independent Living. She described a letter he received last spring from a disabled man who remembered how kind and helpful Dodd had been to him when they were high school classmates. "That really says it all about Chris's gentle spirit and generous nature toward those of us who perhaps need an extra hand or a leg up," she said. Dodd was one of several Democratic hopefuls to address about 600 voters, most with disabilities, who attended the forum. He described his longtime support for disability rights, from co-sponsoring the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1975 to sponsoring and then fighting for years to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, which he said was inspired by the family of a young Connecticut girl with disabilities. "These issues that are being discussed here today are personal. They reach deep into my family, they reach deep into my experience as a young adult and as a member of the United States Congress over the last quarter century," he said. "I haven't learned about them through a briefing book, quite candidly, or a meeting in my office, but through friends, acquaintances, family and my own sister." The forum was designed to pressure presidential candidates to support people with disabilities and their right to equality, opportunity and access. "Those three words are really about civil rights, and that's why we're here today," said Andrew Imparto, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities. "People with disabilities have a right to be full participants in all aspects of society, and we need leadership from the top." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton promised to reinstate her husband's executive order calling on federal agencies to hire 100,000 people with disabilities in five years. She also said she would get rid of federal rules that cut benefits for people with disabilities when they get jobs. "When I am president, my White House will welcome you. Our government will be a partner with you, and new opportunities will be open to you," she said. Former Sen. John Edwards also would reinstate the executive order on hiring, said his campaign manager, former U.S. Rep. David Bonior of Michigan, who noted that adults with disabilities are 30 percent more likely to live in poverty. He framed his remarks around Edwards' call to build one America that serves all citizens equally. "For Americans with disabilities, that starts with the recognition that your right to be included in the American dream is a civil right," he said. "How we respond to this says everything about our moral character as a nation." Sen. Joe Biden argued that the power of the presidency lies not in issuing executive orders or proposing legislation but in using the bully pulpit to remind the public about the nation's core values, including equality and dignity for all. "Too often in our society, those of us in power, particularly this president, remain silent, and there's somehow an equation made between the worth, the capacity and the potential of someone who is wheelchair-bound ... and their self worth," he said. Though he used most of his time to promote his single-payer health care system, Rep. Dennis Kucinich also highlighted his personal connections to the disabilities community. He described a young boy who learned to read at age 3 but was in danger of failing in school because of a severe stutter until a teacher arranged for him to get speech therapy. "That was me," he said. "I understand what people go through who are just struggling to survive, and I also understand when you get a little bit of help, what can happen." Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, meanwhile, revealed that he struggled with dyslexia as a child. He devoted his speech to describing his plan to give all policy decisions to the people through a direct vote. Sen. John McCain, the only Republican to participate, addressed the group by phone. He focused on health care for disabled veterans, repeating a favorite quote from George Washington: "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated by their country." © Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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