On Saturday night and through Sunday morning, President-elect Joe Biden was praised by members and advocates of the disabled community who celebrated the reference to “disability” in his victory speech.
“We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity or their disability,” the president-elect said Saturday night in Wilmington, Delaware.
To some, Biden’s reference marked a stark contrast to President Donald Trump, a vocal opponent of health science whose list of ableist behaviors includes mocking a disabled reporter in 2016 and instituting policies that made it difficult for disabled immigrants to receive vital health benefits.
On social media, disabled activists and allies to the movement instantly took note of Biden’s call for them to be afforded equal opportunity, and many used the hashtag #CripTheVote in reference to the years-long campaign to realize the disabled community as a critical voting bloc.
Biden was not the first, however.
Was curious if other presidents had mentioned disability in victory speeches and Obama said in 2008 "It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled."
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) November 9, 2020
