Vice Presidential Pool Reports of July 26, 2022

VP Pool Report #1 — meeting with disability rights advocates re: reproductive rights

Pool was escorted into the VP's ceremonial office at 1:24 pm.

Vice President Harris was already seated at the head of the table with her (empty) desk behind her, with the other meeting participants arranged along both sides.

Ms Harris opened by welcoming the participants to the meeting and describing herself and her attire for the benefit of anyone watching who is visually-impaired ("I am a woman … wearing a blue suit").

She said the topic under discussion was "as much as anything about justice and equality and freedom".

The Vice President noted that today is the 32nd anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act into law "with the intention of enshrining in our laws, the protections that rightly should be in place to ensure that all people in our country are treated equally and with dignity and respect".

She said the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling gave her "particular concerns about how that decision will uniquely impact Americans with disabilities."

"We know that all people with disabilities, of course in the United States should have full access to reproductive care and reproductive care. But these abortion restrictions that are being put in place in our country, by extremist, so-called leaders in various states, will have disproportionate impacts on people with disabilities," she said.

She laid out several areas in which Dobbs may impact persons with disabilities, and said there is "still a lot of work to do in our country as it relates to fulfilling the promise of the ADA". She added that reproductive health care is "one example where … disparities still exist, as it relates to people in our country who have disabilities".

Each of the speakers then delivered prepared remarks in turn, after which the Vice President closed the portion open to the pool by saying the ADA was "designed to really capture the right to self-determination". She added that the Dobbs ruling did "so much that is going to undo the spirit of that principle".

Pool was escorted out at 1:46 pm.

Background from OVP and a link to an Otter recording/transcript of the pool spray is available below. Please check quotes against the White House's official transcript.

https://otter.ai/u/flvA--DHIQ2YS-5n6CaVsfRU9-E

On Background from a White House official:
Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Vice President Kamala Harris will host a roundtable conversation with disability rights leaders to discuss access to reproductive health care. Vice President Harris will emphasize the Administration's commitment to protecting reproductive rights and share how the Administration has been, and will continue to, fight for the bodily autonomy and self-determination of all individuals with disabilities.

Participants (speaking order):
• Vice President Harris
• Maria Town, American Association of People with Disabilities
• Lydia Brown, Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network
• Robin Wilson- Beattie, Disability Sexual and Reproductive Health Educator, Founder
• Dior Vargas, Disability Rights and Mental Health Advocate
• Sam Crane, Legal Director at Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities

Today, President Biden signed a proclamation marking the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since the passage of the ADA in 1990, which then-Senator Biden voted for, our nation has made progress toward realizing the legislations' goals of full participation, equal opportunity, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for all people with disabilities. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to work to ensure that the vision of the ADA is fully implemented for all Americans with disabilities.

The Biden-Harris Administration's Record on Equity for Americans with Disabilities
· Today, the Administration released a comprehensive Fact Sheet outlining the actions President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken to advance equity for Americans with disabilities. (attached)
· The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to expand competitive integrated employment, to ensure equal access to programs, services, affordable housing, transportation, and affordable health care for individuals with disabilities, and to enforce civil rights protections.

The Vice President's Record on Policy Related to People with Disabilities
· As a U.S. Senator, the Vice President co-sponsored the IDEA Full Funding Act to ensure that all students with disabilities received the educational resources that they were promised. The Vice President also introduced theDomestic Workers Bill of Rights Act, which would have made Medicaid-funded homecare for disabled Americans more affordable.
· As Attorney General of California, the Vice President won a $324 million settlement for disabled and elderly Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the largest Medi-Cal recovery in California's history. The Vice President also created the Bureau of Children Justice to eliminate discrimination and inequities in education, including those related to children with disabilities. Under her leadership, the bureau investigated the use of physical restraints and isolation to discipline students with disabilities in California schools.

The Vice President's Record fighting for the Health, Safety, and Wellbeing of Women
· The Vice President is travelling the country to meet with state legislators on the frontlines of the battle for reproductive rights. In the month of July alone, she has already met with state legislators in Orlando, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Charlotte, Richmond, and Indianapolis.
· In the months of May and June, the Vice President hosted discussions about reproductive rights with State Attorneys General, constitutional law and privacy experts, faith leaders, and providers.
· The Vice President is a longtime champion of protecting reproductive rights. As California Attorney General, she signed onto multiple amicus briefs to ensure women have full access to their reproductive health care, and she created the Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit to protect consumer and individual privacy through civil prosecution of those who violate state and federal privacy laws.