Newly inaugurated United States President Joe Biden says that he wants his Cabinet to “look like America.” Following this logic, disabled cabinet members should constitute at least 25% of Biden’s nominations. However, this isn’t the case. Even though more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States has some form of a disability; this group was once again ignored in the discussions of diversity and inclusion.
It’s true that President Biden intentionally created a cabinet like America has never seen: twelve members are people of color and eleven are women. The president has also nominated history’s first Native American and LGBTQ+ Cabinet members, Deb Haaland and Pete Buttigieg. This is revolutionary and should be applauded. But this “America” is incomplete.
Heather Minton runs the Instagram account of the Disability Arts and Culture Project, an organization based in Portland, Oregon that strives to advance disability justice efforts through artistic endeavors and advocacy. Minton describes Biden’s Cabinet well, “I think Biden’s cabinet so far looks like the America he has trained himself to see politically.”
The lack of disabled people in government is reflective of centuries of barriers that have prevented disabled people from obtaining these positions.
Some Cabinet nominees, despite being able-bodied, have supported disability issues in the past. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry has an extensive history of prioritizing disability rights legislation as the former Secretary of State of the Obama administration. Xavier Becerra, the first Latino to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has taken the Trump administration to court several times over disability justice issues during his tenure as California’s Attorney General. Former presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris both released comprehensive plans to advance disability rights, ideas which will hopefully carry to their respective roles as Transportation Secretary and Vice President (although the latter affirmed a supporters’ use of the R-word when regarding former President Trump during her Presidential campaign).
Movements such as #CripTheVote organized disabled people to advocate for the people and policies that reflected their best interests, which culminated in a campaign to elect President Biden. Shira Strongin is the founder of The Sick Chicks, an organization that connects young women with chronic illnesses and disabilities and empowers them to advocate for awareness and justice. Strongin believes that Biden is promising but will also need to prove himself to the disability community; since Biden largely ran on healthcare reform, he was able to garner support from the disability community. He recognized the need for disability justice by including disabled people in his acceptance speech, Strongin says, but clear actions need to be taken to properly represent the disability community in government.
President Biden’s actions thus far are indicative of progress, but there’s still a long way to go. Jocelyn Ricarda Mondragon-Rosas, a disabled activist, model, speaker, and content creator, advocates for disabled people in positions of power and influence. Mondragon-Rosas argues that disabled people are the only ones who know what it’s like to navigate social systems such as Medicaid and Social Security, as well as everyday barriers to inclusion such as transportation, housing, and employment issues. Therefore, Mondragon-Rosas says, true representation will only occur if disabled people hold power in society.
Disabled people can and have succeeded in government positions. One example is Senator Tammy Duckworth. A disabled veteran who lost both of her legs and partial use of one arm during her time in the military, Senator Duckworth has sustained a strong career in government for more than a decade.
Many of the crises America faces today, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and rampant racial violence, intertwine with disability issues. Disabled people (especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities) are more likely to die from COVID-19. The climate crisis is disproportionately threatening the lives of disabled people. And disabled people of color are killed by police at an unacceptable rate.
President Biden’s Cabinet nominees are the people who will ultimately decide whether or not to promote policies that aid in bettering the lives of disabled people. If all of these nominees are able-bodied, then the odds are already stacked against disabled people. The Biden administration must make a conscious effort to bring disability issues into conversations of diversity and social justice, a conversation that has long forgotten disabled people. As Jocy Mondragon-Rosas says,
“Biden not electing someone within our community speaks on the large yet very common issue that non-disabled politicians think they can speak for us, when we can speak for ourselves.”
