Late last week, Vice President Biden announced the appointment of Kareem Dale as Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. Dale is a longtime Obama associate and served as his disability advisor during the campaign. Dale is an attorney and he has a visual impairment. According to Biden, Dale will “have absolutely direct access to the president.”
Assuming that Dale really will have the president’s ear, it’s an encouraging sign that the administration will give serious attention to disability issues. In his remarks, Biden also acknowledged that the disability rights movement is part of the larger struggle for civil rights:
I started off in the civil rights movement. This is a civil rights movement. This is a movement to make sure that we guarantee that all peoples in the world have the opportunity to succeed to the degree they are capable.
That’s great, Mr. Vice President. Does that mean we can finally get around to ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? Not to pressure you or anything, but Qatar and Azerbaijan have already ratified it. I’m just saying.
A posting before noon? Yes, you must have had the day off – lucky you.
One way or another we’re going to slide you into the Obama administration. It will be for their own good, of course. (As well as all of ours.)
Every single individual must help to change everybody’s attitude towards disabled people.
Of course the disabled people themselves are in the best position to do this.
Indeed, Marc, if you could go and work in the White House! What a tremendous success this would be.
You are already personally acquainted with Obama, aren’t you.