At first, I was really excited when I received email announcing Senator Joe Biden’s introduction of the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act – which reportedly occured yesterday, October 1st.
Unfortunately, except for the attached word document I received, and an email copy of a press release from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), I couldn’t find anything on the web anywhere documenting the introduction of the bill. (AUCD is one of several prominent disability groups that have endorsed the bill)
I called Biden’s Senate office and they did confirm his introduction of the bill and directed me to the description of it at Thomas.gov – you can see S.3668 here. The text of the bill isn’t there yet, but probably will be there by next week. The staffer I talked to seemed oddly unenthusiastic and nonresponsive to my questions about posting any info about the bill on Biden’s Senate website.
This bill is a version of one he introduced last year, which I wrote about in an earlier entry. It looks like a good bill that recognizes that people with disabilities are especially vulnerable to crimes of violence – and that the criminal justice system hasn’t been doing a very good job of helping people even when perpetrators are charged.
It seems odd to me, on the day of the Vice-Presidential Debates, that Biden wouldn’t go a little out of his way to remind people in the disability community that he is attuned to at least one part of the lived reality of Americans with Disabilities.
After all, Sarah Palin, who has a young child with Down syndrome, created a huge stir among parents of all political persuasions when she said (to parents of “special needs children”):
“I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”
So far, she hasn’t said anything about or to people with disabilities themselves.
This would have been Biden’s chance.
Tip to Biden and staff: Next time, when you do a good thing, let people know. –Stephen Drake