Rep. Stansbury Hosts Virtual Disability Roundtable

ALBUQUERQUE — Yesterday, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) held a virtual roundtable with representatives from organizations serving New Mexicans living with disabilities. During the community discussion, Rep. Stansbury highlighted investments in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and Build Back Better Act that support individuals living with disabilities and programs that serve communities with disabilities, investments in workforce development and education, in community and home-based services, and other vital services and programs.

Event panelists included Alice Liu McCoy, Executive Director of the New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Council, Nathan Gomme, Executive Director of the New Mexico Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Amira M. Rasheed, Consumer Advocate with the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, Greg Trapp, Executive Director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, Gay Finlayson, Autism Programs Manager at UNM Hospitals, and Gary Housepian, Executive Director of Disability Rights New Mexico.

Among other transformative investments, the Build Back Better Act includes a $500 million investment in the development of supportive housing for people living with disabilities, in addition to supporting workforce development and provisions to expedite the phaseout of subminimum wages.

“It was such an honor and privilege to hear from so many amazing advocates working in our disabilities community at our Disabilities Roundtable last night. From the DD waiver, transportation, and access to care and home services, to education and career opportunities—there is so much important work to be done,” said Rep. Stansbury. “With crucial investments in Build Back Better Act to address many of these issues—we must get this bill passed in the Senate and address the needs of our communities. I am honored to stand in solidarity with our disabilities community and proud to work together to tackle these challenges and create new opportunities.”

“Autism Spectrum Disorder is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States,” said Finlayson. “The new CDC numbers of one in 44 are a clear signal that all federal, state, and community service systems must develop and implement autism-informed interventions and supports to meet the unique and complex needs of individuals living with autism.”

“For a lot of people, when they’re trying to learn how to communicate, a lot of things that are lost happen in early childhood,” said Gomme. “So, language acquisition is an extremely important part of our work. We work a lot with making sure that when people get a job, they know how to communicate, they’re able to advocate for themselves and what they need.”

“We are always trying to promote self-determination, integration, and inclusion in the community.” said McCoy. “All our work is centered around creating more inclusive communities and supporting folks to live in their communities to the best of their abilities.”

“I am currently working in the advocacy intervention division,” said Rasheed. “In that division, we are basically the first responders to the office where we received a complaint. We deal with consumer complaints, all the way from a car complaint to a consumer complaint. So, we talk to the customer and communicate with businesses to try to come up with a conclusion that will best support both the consumer and the entity’s business.”

“One of the things that we see is a rapidly aging population,” said Trapp. “The population of persons who are blind is increasing dramatically as a result of the aging of the population. We provide services that will help those individuals continue to live safely in their homes and communities.”

“Ultimately, we need more efforts for creating employment opportunities that will have individuals thriving, and have meaningful and substantial gainful employment,” said Housepian. “It’s one of the linchpins to quality of life. We’re excited about the efforts by Congresswoman Stansbury in the legislature in trying to address this issue for individuals with disabilities. Along with a stronger Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, we need to begin to deliver what is needed in creating customized employment for individuals that will support them in pursuing their life goals.” 

Rep. Stansbury and panelists heard from community members who shared their concerns, questions, and priorities and about how to address community needs and expand resources during the virtual roundtable.

Rep. Stansbury also highlighted recently cosponsored legislation with implications for individuals living with disabilities, including the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 that eliminates the  subminimum wage for individuals with disabilities.

In addition, Rep. Stansbury voted to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s $1.75 billion investment in the nation’s infrastructure, which includes a five-year grant program to upgrade transit and commuter rail stations to become more accessible.