Nonpartisan disability, civil rights, social justice organizations and concerned individuals are calling on former president Donald Trump to apologize to the more than three million Americans who stutter, and to cease mocking people with disabilities.
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Our demand comes in response to the discriminatory comments Donald Trump has made regarding President Biden's speech during the State of the Union address to Congress.
Dr. Heather Grossman, the executive director of the American Institute for Stuttering, said that mockery like Mr. Trump's tells individuals with such disabilities that, “I can’t stutter openly or the world is going to reject me.”
Additionally, we call on candidates from both parties to rise above the demeaning ableism that has marked political discourse in America for far too long.
Ableism defines people by their disability and categorizes this constituency as inferior, perpetuating stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations that inaccurately shape public perception.
We echo and amplify the recent letter sent to both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) by Maria Town, the president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).
"AAPD is requesting your leadership to condemn ableist language in this election, and make efforts to keep our election cycles free of language that perpetuates harmful stereotypes and prejudices against disabled people," wrote Town.
Background:
As reported by the New York Times [March 11, 2024], "The moment happened at Mr. Trump’s rally in Rome, Ga., when he was criticizing Mr. Biden’s State of the Union address. “Didn’t it bring us together?” Mr. Trump said. Then he turned to mocking Mr. Biden, mumbling unintelligibly and saying, “Bring the country t-t-t-t-together.”
"It wasn’t the first time Mr. Trump has demeaned people with disabilities. During his presidential campaign in 2015, he mimicked a New York Times reporter, Serge Kovaleski, by jerking his arms around in an imitation of arthrogryposis, a condition that limits joint functioning."
ADA Watch and the Coalition for Disability Rights & Justice (CDRJ) unite leaders and organizations from the disability rights, civil rights and social justice communities to defend and advance the rights and freedoms of people with all types of disabilities.