1.  The Disability Policy Consortium hoped to be able to offer some guidance to its constituency on the candidate most likely to fill the late Senator’s big shoes on disability issues. In mid-November, DPC sent briefing materials to each campaign along with a simple questionnaire. (The 3 page document can be found at:   www.dpcma.org Issues/U.S. Senate Campaign   )

The briefing information included summaries of issues such as health care, budget, the ADA, benefit schedules (SSI/SSDI) and employment. Also included were details on some of the characteristics of people with disabilities in Massachusetts.

The federal legislation  included in the questionnaire were issues the American Association of People with Disabilities is working on in Washington.  They include:  S.683: Community Choice Act of 2009,   H.R. 1408: Inclusive Home Design Act of 2009,   H.R.3101: 21st-Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009,  along with revision of SSI/SSDI Schedules and increasing the FMAPs.  (Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) are used in determining the amount of Federal matching funds for State expenditures for assistance payments for certain social services, and State medical and medical insurance expenditures.)

Self-addressed stamped envelopes were included, and the surveys were sent certified mail.  None of the campaigns considered these issues or the votes of this largest minority constituency important enough to answer.

2.  The Boston Aging Disability Resource Consortium, under the leadership of Ethos’s Dale Mitchell, asked the candidates to participate in a forum on elder and disability issues. The event was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, December 2. Candidates Martha Coakley and Scott Brown immediately replied that they could not make it. Then, on Tuesday before the event, Michael Capuano and Alan Khazei said they would not attend. Left with an unbalanced field of Steve Pagliuca and Jack E. Robinson, the event was cancelled.

Thus, as elders, people with disabilities and their families head to the polls, they do so without any guidance from the candidates on how they will approach issues of importance to us all.

Thanks to the Disability Policy Consortium for the content of this post.