On Friday, January 20, 2017 the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald Trump took the oath of office with the promise to make America great again.  It doesn't matter if you are Republican, Democrat, Independent or somewhere in between most people can agree that our country needed some change.  However, when I hear the slogan, "Make America Great Again", I missed out on when America ceased to be the greatest country in the world. 

 

To be clear here, I'm not writing this article as a political statement.  I find myself mixed with emotions from the left and the right on what it truly means to make America great again.  My idea of a great nation is one where EVERYONE has equal rights and valued equally.   Everyone means all - including individuals with disabilities.  How do we make this happen?  We make this happen by being vigilant advocates for our children, loved-ones, friends and others with disabilities. 

 

Not only is our country seeing shifts in political agendas which could harm individuals with disabilities - but our state is facing major budget shortages and once again we find ourselves fighting to protect services for individuals with disabilities.  It's like a double whammy for families that are already overwhelmed with the day to day rituals of caring for someone with a disability. 

 

Health Care - I'm not going to debate the merits or lack of regarding the Affordable Care Act.  What's not up for debate is the need for affordable, quality healthcare for individuals with disabilities.  If the ACA is repealed and something is not put in place to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions, individuals with disabilities will once again have very limited options for quality healthcare. Before ACA individuals with disabilities could enroll in an unaffordable high risk insurance plan - unfortunately most remained uninsured.  Where is the equality in this?  How does this make America great again?  Yes, the ACA might not be the greatest - but let's not fix the problem on the back of the most vulnerable population of people.

 

Education - As a nation we've come a long way in educating children with disabilities.  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees every child, regardless of their disability a Free, Appropriate, Public Education.   Is it possible to get this with a voucher?  On the surface the idea of school vouchers sounds wonderful.  As a parent you get to pick the school you want your child to attend, bring them the voucher and pay the difference - if there is any.  If you are already paying for school, it's a win-win as you get reimbursed for part or all of your tuition.  Who doesn't like that?  What happens when you arrive at that perfect school for your child and they tell you, your child may come here but you will first need to sign away for rights under The Individuals with Disabilities Act?   We will not provide an IEP or those services for your child.  This is exactly how the vouchers in Louisiana currently work.   What happens when you arrive at that perfect school and you're told we don't accept children with disabilities of any kind?  So this whole notion of school choice will allow non-public schools to discriminate against children with disabilities. Suddenly you realize choice becomes a right for only a select group of kids an your kiddo is in the wrong group. Additionally, desperately needed financial resources will be rerouted to nonpublic schools and we will be left with a public system that is segregated for children with disabilities and lack the resources they need to adequately educate the children.  Do we really want to go back 30 years?  How does this make America great again for children with disabilities?

 

Without affordable, quality healthcare and appropriate educational services we have no chance of children with disabilities growing up and becoming productive adults.  They will grow up and become more dependent on other social services and their families for survival.  Is this really where we want to go as a nation?  Is this what great looks like? 

 

Who doesn't want great?  But as a nation, we are only as great as our weakest link.  So for true greatness - we need to make sure individuals with disabilities are not forgotten in this idea of making us great again.

During these uncertain times I would recommend you stay vigilant, don't believe everything you read and do your own research using reputable sites.  Make decisions based on facts and not social media posts.  If you decide you are for or against something - own it.  Know you've made this decision based on your research and not on what someone else is posting which is often unreliable news sources being reposted by others that never even opened up the link to read the contents.  There are LOTS of fake headlines that have nothing to do with the story attached.  Just be mindful that times are changing and you need to be a little more inquisitive. 

As I approach the next exit off the interstate that is labeled Greatness - I can only imagine it being a place where all really means all and individuals with disabilities are respected and valued as contributing members of society and treated equally.  When that happens, I'll be the first to stand up an scream - AMERICA IS GREAT AGAIN!