Protecting Disabled Rights Is Not An Optional Choice--It's The Human One

Disability rights are under attack in America, however, this issue is not publicized in the media. Government research shows that out of 61 million adults 1 in 4 have a disability. The most common disability which affects mobility, is present in 1 in 7 adults in America. Not only have various legislators in America cut into the safety Medicaid used to provide people with disabilities who could not cover their medical bills without financial assistance, but there have been major changes in the assistance that people with disabilities could receive in the workplace in regards to the financial aspect and schedule adaptability. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that allows for 72.5 million Americans health coverage--including individuals with disabilities. Medicaid is the single largest source of health coverage in the United States, and with Trump’s harmful changes to Medicaid--people with disabilities are now experiencing an extreme healthcare crisis. President Trump has a clear goal to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the Medicaid expansion, in an effort to impose caps on the federal government’s Medicaid spending. The Trump Administration has so far agreed to limit eligibility for the ACA Medicaid expansion, costing thousands of people their health coverage, and endangering millions more. While this issue may not affect one today, does that mean that one should not want to stand up for what is right? What if one day one encounters themselves in a situation like this--wouldn’t they want healthcare coverage? Just because this issue may not affect one, rising up in protest is the right thing to do!Disability advocates today are working to break down institutional, physical, socioeconomic, and societal barriers. Living with a disability should not mean that one cannot live like their fellow citizens. Organizations fighting for people with disabilities have existed since the 1800s, however, they became popular in the 1900s through the League of the Physically Handicapped in 1930 and the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (created to stop the discrimination against people with disabilities). Self-advocacy groups like the DREDF (Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund), ADAPT (Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation, changed to Americans Disabled Attendant Programs Today), and the CIL (Center for Independent Living) work to break the nation-wide stigmas surrounding disabilities. The CIL began in Cowell Hospital, CA, and, though it is now demolished, made way for programs like the “Rolling Quads” and the “Disabled Students Program” at the University of California Berkeley. Self-advocacy groups and organizations like these prove that disability rights and the retraction of Medicaid by our government needs to be fought for.So, what can one do to protect those with disabilities? Or for those affected by the withdrawal of Medicaid? Something as simple as acknowledging this issue is a key step towards becoming an advocate for disability rights. The next step is to spread the word; read up on the upcoming petitions and ask oneself  “Which issues should be fixed in society, even if it doesn’t affect one directly?” At the end of the day, one should remind themself: protecting the rights of people with disabilities is not the optional thing to do, it’s the human one.