As Americans prepare to vote this November, Washington remains consumed by partisan divisions. Yet new polling reveals an issue where Republicans, Democrats and independents share common ground: fixing America’s broken disability system.
A national survey of likely voters commissioned by Able Americans found that more than eight in ten believe government has a role in helping cover caregiving costs for Americans with disabilities. Two-thirds support modernizing outdated financial eligibility rules, while 58 percent believe more must be done to remove barriers to employment.
The message is clear: Americans want a disability system that promotes independence, opportunity and financial security.
As a former member of Congress and, more importantly, the father of a daughter with a disability, I know firsthand that the greatest obstacles facing Americans with disabilities are often not their disabilities. They are the disconnected government systems meant to support them.
Families confront endless paperwork, conflicting eligibility rules and waiting lists. People who want to work face financial penalties for earning or saving. And those pursuing new opportunities can discover that essential supports are tied to their ZIP code rather than their needs.
Through my ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative and now Able Americans’ Campaign to Fix the Disability System, I have championed a simple principle: Government should adapt to the lives of people with disabilities, not the other way around.
That brings us to what I believe is the next frontier in disability rights: the freedom to move.
Consider this: An American without a disability can accept a job in another state, attend college across the country or relocate closer to family without wondering whether essential daily supports will disappear.
For millions of Americans with disabilities, crossing a state line can mean starting over.
Moving may require navigating an entirely new Medicaid system, reapplying for home- and community-based services, joining another waiting list or losing continuity in vocational rehabilitation supports.
Imagine being offered your dream job but having to decline because moving could jeopardize the personal care assistance you need to get out of bed each morning.
Or being accepted into a university but not knowing whether the independent living supports you depend on will follow you.
Disability doesn’t stop at a state line. Neither should opportunity.
That’s why Able Americans is advancing a national portability agenda to make disability supports more continuous and coordinated across state boundaries.
Our policy work identifies practical solutions: clearer federal guidance, interstate agreements, portable employment plans and better coordination among Medicaid, vocational rehabilitation and home- and community-based services.
We can preserve state flexibility while reducing duplication, strengthening accountability and ensuring Americans aren’t forced to sacrifice independence simply because they move.
The economic case is equally compelling.
When people with disabilities cannot relocate for employment, businesses lose talent. When students cannot pursue educational opportunities, our workforce loses potential. And when outdated benefit rules discourage saving and working, government reinforces the dependency it should be helping people overcome.
Our polling also found that nearly eight in ten likely voters have never heard of ABLE accounts, which Congress created to help eligible Americans with disabilities save and invest without jeopardizing certain essential benefits.
We should build on that foundation with an “ABLE Backpack,” a portable framework that allows Americans with disabilities to carry their financial resources, employment plans and critical support information across state lines, rather than starting from scratch every time they move. Just as an ABLE account empowers people to save for their futures, an ABLE Backpack could help ensure their opportunities aren’t limited by geography.
We have solutions. What we lack is a system that consistently connects people to them.
As November approaches, policymakers should recognize that disability reform offers an opportunity for bipartisan progress. Americans may disagree about government’s role, but they broadly agree on expanding opportunity, supporting caregivers and removing barriers to independence.
The next Congress should build on that common ground by asking one fundamental question: Why should crossing a state line mean starting over for an American with a disability?
The Americans with Disabilities Act transformed physical accessibility and opened doors to inclusion. The next chapter of disability rights must confront barriers embedded within government programs themselves.
A better job. A college education. A new home. The chance to live closer to family. These are ordinary American aspirations. They should not become extraordinary bureaucratic challenges because someone has a disability.
Elections come and go. But the barriers confronting Americans with disabilities remain.
The next frontier in disability rights is the freedom to build a life, pursue opportunity and move forward without leaving essential supports behind. It’s time for America to ThinkDIFFERENTLY.
Marc Molinaro is a former U.S. representative from New York, former Dutchess County executive and former administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. He is a member of Able Americans’ Campaign to Fix the Disability System.