Karla met Hillary at a campaign event where Hillary was talking about immigration reform.
Karla and her mom were a huge hit last night!We need comprehensive immigration reform to keep families like Karla's together. #DemsInPhillyhttps://t.co/mc29cTNnSu— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 26, 2016
Anastasia's story goes much further back. She was a third-grader when President Bill Clinton visited her elementary school in New York in 1993.
A Little Girl Speaks, and a Nation Listens
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: February 22, 1993
For years, Mary Somoza has been an advocate for disabled people, lobbying elected officials, speaking before a Congressional subcommittee and serving on various task forces. But she marveled yesterday over how much attention the cause has received since her 9-year-old daughter met President Clinton on national television Saturday morning.
Read more >>>>Her story did snowball, as her mom put it, leading to what we now refer to as inclusion. Disabled children like Anastasia and her twin Alba now are included in classrooms with children who are not disabled, and they learn right along with their peers thanks to her question to a president.
Here is Hillary's statement issued today on the anniversary of the ADA.
Hillary Clinton Statement on the 26th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Today, on the 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a bipartisan bill which guarantees civil rights protections for more than 56 million Americans, including almost 4 million veterans, Hillary Clinton issued the following statement:
“The Americans with Disabilities Act made our country more inclusive, our economy stronger, and our society fairer. This landmark law opened educational opportunities, expanded transportation, ensured equal access to public buildings, and outlawed employment discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA enables people with disabilities to participate more fully in their communities and live more inclusive lives.
“But we know we have more work to do. I am committed to realizing the full promise of the ADA expanding opportunity for the over 50 million Americans living with a disability—because we’re stronger together.
“As President, I will continue to advance disability rights and work to fulfill the promise of the ADA. I will work to expand support for people to live in integrated community settings, consistent with the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. As part of that effort, I will push Congress to enact the Disability Integration Act so that Americans with disabilities who need long-term services and supports can receive that care in home- and community-based settings if they so choose. And I will work to improve access to competitive integrated employment. We must honor the spirit and substance of the law and recommit ourselves to defending and strengthening it to help ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential.”
Let's do all we can to elect the president who will work to protect families like Karla's and advance talented disabled people rather than the candidate who ridicules disabilities and wants to deport parents like Karla's.
