Tag: hr620

Letter to My Representatives on HR 620 and Frivolous Lawsuits

HR 620 is raw and ugly ableism. It welcomes a return to legal exclusion. Frivolous lawsuits by a handful of high-frequency filers can and should be handled at the district court or bar level. Apply political pressure on the bad actors instead of on disabled and neurodivergent people navigating systems made callous and cruel by the politics of resentment.

Thirty years is sufficient time for us to upgrade our business ethics and embrace accessibility as good for society and business. The future is accessible. Let’s get there faster instead of slower. Withdraw support of HR 620.

Letter to My Representatives on Ableism and HR620 #HandsOffMyADA

Trumpism fuels ableist and eugenicist hate against neurodivergent and disabled people. Haters are emboldened by the GOP’s open and apparent hostility to disabled folks. These haters have heads full of myths installed by the politics of resentment. They spit these myths—propagated by Republican politicians and media—in our faces, oblivious to their own ignorance and fear.

HR620 further enshrines and promotes ableism via attacks on the ADA. Please stop doing this. Life is hard enough without constantly battling exclusion, hate, and misinformation. Accessibility is a grand social good and a powerful driver of innovation. Encourage it. My family and so many others would appreciate that. Everyone benefits from accessible design. We arguably wouldn’t have an internet if not for neurodivergent and disabled people creating accessible communication and collaboration (see the book NeuroTribes).

Disability is the most intersectional identity. Twelve years of hard-hitting Texas football contributed to my progressive disabilities. That’s not an uncommon story in our football-crazed state. We encourage kids to risk their brains and bodies playing a game while we sabotage the laws and systems that will help them remain a part of society once chronic pain settles into their lives to stay.

Anyone, at any time, can join our ranks. If and when they do, they will find themselves in an inaccessible society, sick with ableism and resentment. Much of that ableism and resentment is the direct result of Republican policies and messaging. Your words hurt us. Your willful ignorance hurts us. Your refusal to listen hurts us. Your racial hatred, indifference to suffering, and refusal to examine systemic causes hurt us.