Advocacy Works: The EMPSA Act Could Provide Hope for Some People with Disabilities Who Want to Get Married. By Jason Hahr



Image description: Above is a poster for Patrice, The Movie. It shows two people holding hands, a man in a wheelchair and a woman standing beside him. Patrice, The Movie is written in yellow above the picture. 

 Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope your week started on a good note. Today’s article will be brief. The last several posts have dealt with the topic of disability and marriage. Apparently, our advocacy is getting some attention throughout the nation. On January 13, 2025, Congressman David Valadao of California and Congresswoman Susie Lee of Nevada reintroduced a bipartisan bill that would eliminate the “marriage penalty” for people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income. I will link an article that outlines the proposed legislation at the bottom of this blog.

The bill was initially introduced in January of last year. However, it has been reintroduced because of shows like Love on the Spectrum and Patrice: The Movie. The fascination with attention to disabled people and their love lives is greater now than ever. No, I do not think we are being exploited. The momentum we have gained in the media over the last year will finally force people to realize that we can also love. As they say in the article, disabled people should be able to marry without losing the vital care we need. I applaud our political leadership for reintroducing such significant legislation. It is up to us, the voiceless minority, to make our voices heard and change the world again. Until next time, your friendly neighborhood super advocate, Jay.

 Link to an article outlining the EMPSA Act: https://valadao.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1782

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 11, 2025 at 8:26 PM

    Thanks for sharing this information! I had no idea that this was an issue and I sure hope this legislation gets passed!!

    ReplyDelete

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