Our children bring immense beauty and value to the world, yet they are too often underestimated and hindered by policies that fail to recognize their potential. Whether you have had to battle for your child’s right to a free and fair education, a spot in daycare, behavior health services, medical equipment, therapies, or for meaningful inclusion in all aspects of life, you have lived experiences that can help legislators understand the impact of these decisions.
DEI is not a meaningless acronym, It protects our children from discrimination. It is all too common of a reality for us. People take for granted things like summer camps, daycare access, and inclusion in sports and extracurricular activities. People with disabilities face discrimination in the workplace and in many settings. Policies exist to fight those barriers. These are policies that were met with bipartisan support when they were introduced.
Medicaid isn’t a program that can just be cut on a spreadsheet for a tax break for the wealthy. Medicaid is Sienna’s therapies, her speech device, her walker, Safety Sleeper, her orthotics, her checkups and prescription medication. This life can make every day experiences more challenging. We have been so grateful that access to healthcare has not been one of those challenges.
Sienna’s education has been a constant uphill battle from the very first IEP meeting. She is in second grade and has been in 3 different schools already. She finally is at her neighborhood public school, and it faces closure due to funding issues that stem from charter schools and school voucher programs. The current administration wants to grow those programs, and simultaneously eliminate her rights which are currently protected on a federal level at the Department of Education.
This current administration is attacking the disability community. My rage has motivated me to action. If you are interested in joining a group of families interested in protecting our children, please reach out to me on social media or here. We will organize, educate, and take action to demand better policies that uplift and support individuals with disabilities. Through collaboration, shared lived experiences, and collective advocacy, we will hold policymakers accountable and push for meaningful change.
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