For Immediate Release: January 29, 2020
Contact: Keri Gray, (202) 521-4310, kgray@www.aapd.com
STATEMENT: SUPREME COURT RULING ON PUBLIC CHARGE WILL HARM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the Trump administration’s discriminatory public charge rule to go into effect. Following the ruling, the American Association of People with Disabilities issued the following statement from President and CEO Maria Town.
“The immediate and real-world effect of this week’s Supreme Court ruling to lift the nation-wide injunction on the Department of Homeland Security’s discriminatory ‘public charge’ rule will be particularly devastating for immigrants with disabilities and their families”, said AAPD’s President and CEO Maria Town.
“The vast majority of people with disabilities who utilize public benefits — both citizens and immigrants — do so with the intent of being able to live independently, become employed, support their families, contribute to their communities, and pay taxes. To cut immigrants off from a path to citizenship due to use of such assistance and prejudiced perceptions of disability is unquestionably cruel. It is also harmful to the principles of independence and personal dignity which are foundations of our society.
“While we are disappointed by this decision, it is our fervent hope that lower courts will pay particular attention to its profoundly negative impact on people with disabilities, continue to find the rule to be unlawful, and promptly issue as broad injunctions as possible consistent with this ruling.”
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AAPD is a convener, connecter, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As one of the leading national cross-disability civil rights organizations, AAPD advocates for the full recognition of rights for the over 60 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD’s programs and initiatives have been effective in mobilizing the disability community through communications advocacy; cultivating and training new and emerging leaders with disabilities through leadership development programs; increasing the political participation of Americans with disabilities and elevating the power of the disability vote through the REV UP (Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!) Campaign; and advancing disability inclusion in the workplace through the Disability Equality Index (DEI) — the nation’s leading corporate benchmarking tool for disability equality and inclusion. To learn more about AAPD, visit www.aapd.com.