INAUGURATION DAY GUIDE TO DISABILITY

I put the following list of links together for a class I am teaching to help inform my students, and wanted to share it here while advocates around the country (indeed around the world) are preparing for the Inauguration. This is also a great opportunity to think about disability, as this historic moment brings us to a precipice as a nation. What will the new administration mean for the disability community, and how will we all be affected by their policies? 
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Would You Like to Know More? *

• The Obama White House Disability page (not sure how long this will be up): https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/disabilities
• In the future, the page listed above can be found here: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/
• Disability journalist, David Perry on the controversy between Meryl Streep & Donald Trump: http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/09/opinions/streep-trump-real-talk-perry-opinion/ 
• Article by disability rights lawyer, Robin Powell, on what Trump's appointees mean for the disability community: https://rewire.news/article/2017/01/11/right-learn-earn-live-trumps-cabinet-selections-mean-people-disabilities/
• PBS guide to the second week of confirmation hearings: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/guide-second-week-confirmation-hearings-betsy-devos-tom-price/

Articles About Appointees:

• Illinois Senator and disabled veteran, Tammy Duckworth, on Attorney General appointee, Jeff Sessions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tammy-duckworth-jeff-sessions_us_58740178e4b099cdb0fefcac
• Autistic advocate, Ari Ne'eman, on Dept. of Education appointee, Betsy DeVos: http://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/1/19/14314890/devos-disabilities-rights-idea-hassan
• On the appointee to head the Dept. of Health and Human Services, Tom Price's healthcare agenda: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/tom-price-secretary-hhs-policy/509159/
• Article on acting head of the Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/politics/civil-rights-justice-department-donald-trump.html?_r=0

Videos:

• Obama's ADA 25 Celebration: https://youtu.be/SZCQT-DYVNY
• Jeff Session's confirmation hearing: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/jeff-sessions-confirmation-hearings-updates-analysis-233402
  • Full video here: http://www.npr.org/2017/01/10/509039636/watch-live-jeff-sessions-attorney-general-confirmation-hearing
• Betsy DeVos' confirmation hearing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/betsy-devoss-confirmation-hearing-in-three-minutes/2017/01/17/5f2d8e7c-dd34-11e6-8902-610fe486791c_video.html
  • Full video here: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/01/17/510274817/watch-live-betsy-devos-secretary-of-education-confirmation-hearing
• Tom Price's confirmation hearing: https://youtu.be/y5LVHGowE6M
  • Full video here: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/314759-tom-prices-confirmation-hearing-live-coverage

* Yes, that's a Starship Troopers reference, which is a great vehicle for discussing active/passive citizenship. Also, Ben Carson (Trump's appointee to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development) hasn't said anything about disability yet, but he would be in charge of enforcing Fair Housing and ensuring people with disabilities have access to accessible, affordable housing.