Election Results
Like most Americans, people with disabilities are still processing the results of the 2024 elections. Now we are all headed into the holidays, when we are more or less forced to talk politics with people we may disagree with or can’t understand. So now is an especially important time to think about what disabled people in your life may be thinking and feeling right now about the election.
First, here are a few thoughts and impressions from disabled people who have a broad perspective on disability and politics:
“We don’t know everything that lies ahead, but we know some of what we might face: proposed cuts to lifeline programs, attacks on reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, a resurgence of dangerous lies about vaccines and autism, and yet more attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is a terrifying moment — but we are not powerless.” – Facebook post from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
“In many ways, we have been fighting from a position of defense as opposed to expanding our rights and building a society that supports us all, and that fight is physically and emotionally draining.” – Facebook post from Sarah Blahovec and Neal Carter, Co-Directors of Disability Victory.
“It’s going to be incredibly painful and difficult for the foreseeable future, but we can survive if we start actually taking care of each other. Find your political home (and I don’t mean your political party). Start caring about what goes on in your town or city. Remember that solidarity is about action — it’s not enough to say you care about folks who are Black, queer, trans, disabled, etc. You have to actually do things to show that, every day.” – Facebook post by Dom Kelly, CEO and Co-Founder, President, and CEO of New Disabled South.
There is a lot to think about, and for those of us with disabilities, a lot to worry about. Some of it we may want to talk about, some of it not so much. Before you wade into any kind of post-election debrief with disabled people you know – family, friends, neighbors, coworkers – here are some suggestions about what may be on our minds.
Disappointment and Fear
To start with, all of the usual political and ideological reasons why just under half of U.S. voters are upset by Donald Trump’s reelection apply to disabled people too. None of us needs special disability reasons to feel outraged, elated, or conflicted about how the elections turned out. And no matter what your political preferences are, it’s undeniable that a large portion of Americans, and of Americans with disabilities, are not feeling great. The reasons may be obvious to you, but whether they are or not, they are worth reviewing.
At the most basic level as a Republican, President-Elect Trump stands broadly for a conservative political philosophy that favors the government doing less and spending less for people in need of help. This would be a concern for many or most disabled voters with the election of almost any Republican.
But Trump himself has also shown evidence several times that he personally sees at least some disabled people as ridiculous at best, and at worst, as wastes of resources and attention. Knowing that the president holds such views, even if they are only his own, can seriously disrupt disabled people’s sense of security and safety, especially when so many of us rely on government programs and funding for our everyday well-being.
And there are other more specific risks ahead for us:
- Abolishing the Department of Education, as Trump has promised to do, would disrupt and very possibly set back the cause of equal educational opportunity for disabled children and youth. It would throw into chaos the most broad civil rights protections and the most concrete services like classroom aides and assistive technologies, that disabled children need in order to secure a free and equal public education.
- Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to head Health and Human Services is likely to raise some fairly intense concerns among people with disabilities and chronic illness, who rely on vaccines and medications that Kennedy seems determined to limit or radically change.
- There is always the high-stakes threat that a new Republican administration will try to cut and restructure essential health care, income, and support services. And the first Trump administration did try to do this to Medicaid, so there’s a precedent for it.
A harder to document, but very noticeable change for disabled people is a coarsening of the cultural tone. The type of conservative populism Trump seems to represent includes nostalgia for a past in which disabled people were more confined and less visible, and when it was considered acceptable to make tasteless, juvenile, jokes about disabled people, along with other marginalized people. Legal, administrative, and financial changes pose a greater threat to us. But changes in the dominant mood towards disabled people may be the first things we experience firsthand.
Satisfaction and Excitement
Of course, some disabled people are sure to be satisfied, or even excited by Trump’s re-election.
Not all disabled people view politics through a disability lens. Many disabled people follow their own political philosophy regardless of how it relates to their disability experiences. Millions of disabled people are progressive and vote Democrat no matter what; millions of others are conservative and vote Republican no matter what. This doesn’t seem to change much, even with very unusual, polarizing, and for some, toxic candidates like Donald Trump A National Disability Rights Network analysis of the 2020 election results show that a slim majority of disabled voters voted for Donald Trump. So, it’s entirely possible that significant numbers of disabled voters voted for Trump this year as well.
At the most basic level, some disabled people may simply be looking forward, perhaps desperately because living disabled is expensive, to promised lower prices and a generally more optimistic economic climate — no matter what, no matter how or by whom.
Disabled people who are happy about Trump’s re-election may have fewer specifics to cite, and less to say from a uniquely disabled perspective. But their reasoning will most likely make sense to them, and shouldn’t be met with too much surprise, even if you find it hard to understand or approve.
What to Know, What to Say
It sounds obvious, but it’s a good starting point — don’t assume. Ask the disabled people in your life how they are feeling, and then listen. Don’t argue — not right now. Don’t rub it in if you are celebrating Trump’s victory, or drown us in sympathy or ranting if you’re upset and angry about it.
Don’t just spout the standard cliches associated with ordinary elections — like “the people have spoken” and pledging to work impartially with “the other side.” One thing both Trump opponents and supporters can agree on is that this wasn’t an ordinary election. Donald Trump wasn’t an ordinary Republican candidate. And he probably won’t be another ordinary President, again. It’s OK to recognize that the 2024 election was a big deal, and an unusual event in U.S. history.
Remember that for many, probably most disabled people, the outcomes of elections are more than just a matter of personal philosophy or political enthusiasm. They can be a matter of life, death, and literal, physical freedom, for us.
No matter how you and the disabled people in your life are feeling at the moment, keep in mind some of the specific things disabled people of all political points of view may have to deal with the very near future:
- Changes in health care coverage, including loss of Medicaid and Medicare, and services like home care only they can pay for.
- Cuts and eligibility changes in Social Security Disability, SSI, SNAP, and other income support programs.
- Cuts in funding to nonprofit agencies that provide disabled people with many of our support services.
- Weakening or repeal of disability rights laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
- Further stalling or reversal of long-term policy goals, like transportation accessibility and expanded home care funding.
Remember that people with disabilities view politics and our own lives through more than one lens. Trump’s re-election is more than just a challenge to disability issues and culture. His rise is also related to race, gender, social class, economic status, and simple political philosophies that may have a lot to do with the disability experience, or very little.
No matter how disabled people close to you are reacting to the 2024 election results, treat us with respect — neither pity nor condemnation. Be ready to help us process, if that’s what we need — and to take care of ourselves, emotionally and physically, if and when that becomes necessary. Don’t try to debunk our interpretation of what’s happened. Don’t try to push your current theories. Above all, understand that no matter what you or we think about politics in general, the stakes are truly, intimately high for people with disabilities. Most of us don’t have the luxury of opting out, or of mere outrage without thoughtful strategy.
This holiday season, be ready to talk with us about these things. But go easy on us. We have a lot on our minds.
