cross post from GDP - Pres Obama's Special Assistant for Disabilities Policy

[Muttocracy]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8196356

U.S. V.P. Announces Appointment of Special Assistant for Disabilities Policy

(and the DU archives tell me this was part of Howard Dean's platform in 2004)

http://www.specialolympics.org/WGU_VP_WWG_visit.aspx

U.S. Vice President Announces Appointment of Special Assistant for Disabilities Policy

During a visit to the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho, on 12 February, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden announced that Kareem Dale has been named the special assistant to the president for disabilities policy. Dale’s appointment marked the first time a U.S. president has had a special assistant focused exclusively on disability policy.

“The commitment that the President and I have to Special Olympics and people with disabilities is deep and abiding. And we are backing up those words with real action at the White House,” said Biden. “This is our first step to ensure that we have a strong advocate for people with disabilities at the highest levels of our administration.” The nation needs policy changes that will ensure Americans with disabilities can get and keep fulfilling jobs without worrying about losing government-funded health insurance or other assistance, he added. "This is a civil rights movement," Biden said. "There's a need to have changes in policy."

Advocates have long complained that programs like Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid and Medicare essentially force disabled workers to leave their jobs or prevent them from working so that they can qualify for the medical care they need.

Dale, who is partially blind, will have direct access to President Obama and will coordinate the administration’s efforts to see that people with disabilities are on a level playing field with all Americans. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Dale previously served as the National Disability Director for the Obama for America campaign. He also served on the Arts Policy Committee and the Disability Policy Committee for then-Senator Obama.

more at the link, http://www.specialolympics.org/WGU_VP_WWG_visit.aspx

more photos elsewhere on DU

[endersdragon34]

1. Meh...

Why can't we get an aspie or autistic in the White House. I wouldn't presume to know to what a blind person would want, and now we have a blind person telling the President what autistics and aspies want (in addition to Autism Speaks, who despite their lovely name don't actually give autistics a voice, just speak for them). You would think that they would want someone to represent 1/150 people, rather then someone to represent blindness which effects about half as many people, and far less kids/working age people, the ones that really need representation (beyond that it just says hes partially blind, which could mean any number of things). Beyond that this a corporate/civil lawyer who has NO experience speaking for any disability. Access Living (where I worked for a little while) in Chicago would provide so many better people, though I suppose they didn't campaign as much for him...

[KamaAina]

2. Don't blame me...

I already put my resume in at change.gov. :-)

[endersdragon34]

3. LOL

Wasn't trying to blame you, just Obama.