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Obama Administration Already Making Progress on Behalf of the Disability Community:
Highlights from the first months in office

It has been barely three months since President Barack Obama took office, but his administration has already made remarkable strides toward improving the lives of people with disabilities in the United States. Most notably, on Feb. 17 President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which provided approximately $100 billion for programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education and more than doubled current federal funding for special education and early intervention programs that CEC and its members have long advocated for. But that is just one of the administration’s many initiatives positively affecting persons with disabilities.

CEC is actively working with the administration and Congress to craft and pass new policy, as evidenced by several events that took place last month. CEC was fortunate to welcome Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy Kareem Dale to the CEC 2009 Convention & Expo in Seattle, where he gave a standing-room-only special presentation on the White House’s education agenda, including increasing funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), creating enhanced assessments, enforcing accountability for outcomes, and improving transition practices.

On April 14, several CEC staff members attended a major speech given by President Obama on the status of the American economy. In his address, which took place at Georgetown University, the president offered evidence that the economic stimulus package was already producing desired results but added that more tough times are ahead. Read more about President Obama’s speech here.

The following day, CEC Executive Director Bruce Ramirez attended a White House briefing with more than 50 leaders from disability groups, including the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), of which CEC is a member. The meeting was hosted by Kareem Dale and Tina Tchen, the White House Director of Public Liaison. A series of speakers addressed major issues of importance to the disability community, such as education, health care, housing, transportation, and job outlook. The briefing also offered updates on the federal budget, policy initiatives, the recovery plan, and the appointments of people with disabilities to the administration. The White House staff emphasized their willingness to collaborate with the community and welcomed the audience’s comments and recommendations.

“You can see the White House raising its profile on these issues,” says Ramirez. “I saw this as an opportunity to commend the Obama Administration for including IDEA provisions in the economic stimulus bill – and, of course, to reinforce the importance of IDEA full funding.”

Following is a list of the Obama Administration’s major accomplishments to date on behalf of the disability community:

Signings

• Signed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which will provide insurance to millions of children, including those with disabilities.
• Signed an Executive Order on stem cells, which will open the door to potential cures for many disabilities.
• Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which will, for the first time in history, bring together the best minds across the country to collaborate on research, rehabilitation, and improvement of quality of life for people living with paralysis.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• Included people with disabilities as never before in the recovery plan.
• Provided a one-time additional payment of $250 to people who receive Social Supplemental Income.
• Provided $500 million to the Social Security Administration to help reduce backlogs.
• Provided $87 billion in Medicaid funding for states.
• Provided $140 million in funding for independent living centers.
• Provided more than $500 million in funding for vocational rehabilitation services to help with job training, education, and placement.
• Provided $12 billion in funding for IDEA, which CEC advocated for.

Appointments

• Appointed a Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy with responsibilities in the Domestic Policy Council and Office of Public Liaison for the first time in history. This appointee, Kareem Dale, spoke at the CEC 2009 Convention & Expo just weeks after taking office.
• Appointed a Special Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Personnel to focus on disability appointments for the first time in history.
• Appointed a Senior Advisor on Disability Policy in the Domestic Policy Council for the first time in history.
• Nominated a person with a disability, Kathy Martinez, to be Director of the Office of Disability Employment Policy.
• Nominated Seth Harris, a long-time disability advocate, to be Deputy Secretary of Labor.
• Nominated Tom Perez, a long-time supporter of the disability community, to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

Outreach

• President Obama hosted 10 disability leaders following the signing of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act.
• Vice President Biden led a delegation to the Special Olympics.
• Included people with disabilities at all public White House events.
• Invited Carmen Jones, an African American woman with a disability, to participate in the small group meeting with the President with seven other small business owners to discuss issues facing small business owners.
• Invited six leaders from the disability community to the signing of SCHIP.
• Invited disability leaders to participate in the White House and regional healthcare summits, including members of CCD, ADAPT, the National MS Society, mental health groups, autism groups, and many other disability groups across the country.
• Invited CCD to participate in the fiscal summit.
• Hosted outreach meetings with disability leaders and organizations.
• Hosted briefing and meeting for leaders of national disability organizations on April 15; Executive Director Bruce Ramirez attended on behalf of CEC.

CEC will continue to work with the Obama Administration and Congress to ensure all children and youth receive the high-quality education they need and deserve. The Council hopes to be involved in discussions pertaining to both disability and education policy to fully voice the needs of special education.

CEC is also dedicated to providing its members with the latest in special education policy news, as well as guidance on understanding the ramifications of new legislation and how to effectively and efficiently use funds to improve educational outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.

For more information and for CEC’s complete ARRA resources, visit CEC's Policy & Advocacy Web site.

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