The Voiceless Minority

Image description: Voting stations against a wall. On March 25th, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections." This EO proposes many changes to how our elections work, including voter eligibility, maintaining voter registration lists, vote-by-mail processes, which voting machines can be used, and who is responsible for managing elections. American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is highly concerned that if any aspects of this EO go into effect, voters with disabilities and other marginalized communities will be disproportionately harmed. Already, disabled voters face increased challenges in accessing their right to vote because of policies and practices that make voting difficult. The policies in the Executive Order are voter suppression tactics – policies that make it harder for many Americans to vote. This order comes at a time when Congress is actively considering similar voter sup...

 When this blog began 11 years ago, it was fueled by anger and restriction, but it has since morphed into a platform for disability advocacy. I started the voiceless minority because I was denied the opportunity to even attempt to teach because of some people’s short-sightedness and preconceived notions of people with disabilities. Even though that was almost another lifetime ago, the article I read on Thursday has me wondering if I let society cut me out of my dream. They say things happen for a reason, and I am not looking to go backward and redo my life, but the accomplishments of Ana Victoria Espino, a young lady in Mexico with Down Syndrome, make me wonder if I am really doing all I can to advocate for myself and others with disabilities. I will provide a short summary of the article in this post, but I recommend you click the link at the bottom and read the article about this outstanding young woman for yourself. Ana was born with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is caused by...

So I didn't write a lot in 2014 yet, but I promise that will change. This posting will be my 40 th  blog. It is amazing what this blog has grown into a little over nine months.             Nine months ago, I was angry and bitter and didn't know how to deal with it. They say life has a funny way of working out. I can't say that I would say that in nine months, I found my voice or at least the beginnings of it. As this blog says, I have learned a few things over the past little bit. I've written about comedy, I've written about political issues, and I've written about disability stereotypes; however, this blog will be a little different.             Maybe it's because of how I was raised, but I have developed a spirit of a fighter that is both a good thing and a bad thing. As I sit down to write this post, in fact, I still remember the latest fight I had w...