As delegates prepare to gather at Senate district conventions, at
least one candidate is making disability issues a priority. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer,
DFL candidate for US Senate, reached out to the local disability community
last month by requesting and attending a listening session on disability
issues. The meeting was a chance for community members to inform Nelson-Pallmeyer
on difficulties they face in their lives and work, and how federal
policy affects them, for good or ill.
“You are my teachers,” said Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor
of peace and justice studies at the University of St. Thomas. “I’m
here to learn how, as a U.S. Senator, I can work to make policies that
make your lives better.” In true student fashion, Nelson-Pallmeyer
took several pages of notes as those gathered took turns telling him
how their lives, or lives of people they work with, are constrained
by health-care red tape, low-payed and under-trained for PCAs, poorly
funded special education, income limits to qualify for federal programs,
and a host of other issues. “The cost of providing health insurance
for our employees is out of control, said one leader of a small nonprofit.” Said
one parent of two children with disabilities, “I have to keep
taking pay cuts to stay eligible for Minnesota Care.”
Nelson-Pallmeyer is
locked in a tight race for the DFL endorsement, along with Mike
Ciresi and Al Franken. In the next six weeks, delegates to the
party’s senate district conventions will be meeting to
evaluate the three candidates and caucus for one of the three. Having
a candidate who reaches out to the disability community is a good sign
that “our” issues are being taken seriously. Hats off
to Nelson-Pallmeyer. ![]()
