WASHINGTON D.C. – Armando Vias has released the following statement after the president of the United States blamed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies, and also people with disabilities for last night’s tragic plane crash that happened in Washington, D.C.
First of all, my heart goes out to the families, friends and loved ones and even the soldier’s loved ones who are impacted by this tragic plane crash that happened last night in Washington, D.C. I can’t imagine the grief and the pain that they’re going through right now.
This morning, the president of the United States held a press conference expressing his condolences to the families. However, instead of respecting the families, he goes into politics, blaming President Biden, Obama, and even blaming former United States Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg by calling him a disaster. He, along with his administration, also specifically blamed people with physical, intellectual, and psychological disabilities.
People with disabilities, along with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) didn’t cause last night’s plane crash in any way. Blaming people with disabilities, along with programs that’s designed to foster inclusion is unacceptable. It’s also ableist, bigoted and puts people with disabilities physically in danger of being targeted. I was offended, along with other people with disabilities who might’ve listened to this press conference.
Disability Rights should never be a Republican, Democrat or any other political party issue. It affects anyone, no matter what political beliefs and the values you hold. Instead of taking away our disability rights, we must strengthen them to include everyone and build our city’s and town’s infrastructure to support people with disabilities, such as accessible, affordable, and reliable public transportation, accessible sidewalks, accessible business, government and public websites, and so on.
As I close my statement out, instead of criticizing the previous administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, we must respect the families during this difficult time. It’s going to take a long time for those families to grief. I’ll still keep them in my thoughts, and I’ll continue to fight for what’s right in the United States to make it better for all of us.
Update: Many disability organizations released statements regarding the press conference. You can read their statements on the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD’s) website.