How the #CripTheVote Movement Is Advocating for Disability Policy

Last week, President-elect Joe Biden took the stage in Delaware to address the nation. Millions of people were watching including Sarah Colero, a disabled activist. When Biden mentioned people with disabilities in his call to action, Colero burst into tears. “Disability is never mentioned. So when I heard disability, I started crying. I felt seen. I felt validated,” Colero tells Verywell. For some disabled people, it was the first time they had heard a president-elect include disability, especially in a victory speech. Colero and others shared that excitement on Twitter using #CripTheVote.

Colero’s tweet read: “He said disability. He said the word. He included us in his call for a better future… #CripTheVote.”

#CripTheVote is a nonpartisan campaign that engages politicians and voters on disability issues in the United States. It was coined by Alice Wong, a disabled activist, media maker, and founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project. The campaign chose this name in part because “selective use of ‘crip’ or ‘crippled’ by people with disabilities is a conscious act of empowerment through ‘reclaiming’ a former slur as a badge of pride,” according to the #CripTheVote website.

Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/cripthevote-disability-policy-5087942