Policy Meeting with Senator Mitch McConnell's Staff

I had the opportunity to meet with Larry Cox, State Director for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell today. As senior senator for Kentucky and minority leader, Senator McConnell has the unique opportunity to affect national policy for Kentucky residents with disabilities. My meeting with Mr. Cox allowed me a chance to introduce the Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky program and the initiatives I will support this year. Overall, it was a great introductory event, and one I hope will foster ongoing communication about the issues facing the disabled community. We discussed these critical policies:

• Strategic consideration of disabled students and transitional post-secondary education programs during re-authorization of the Higher Education Act, including support for programs encouraging collaboration and cross-training between high school counselors and vocational rehabilitation professionals;
• Increased demand for improvement to infrastructure and services on behalf of veterans and families facing physical, mental and emotional disabilities;
• Support for measures to ensure equal access to accessible housing options and visit-able communities, including scrutiny of Housing and Urban Development policies designed to promote diversity in home ownership and decrease housing discrimination against people with disabilities; and
• Continued improvement to transportation infrastructure with an eye toward access and ultimately increased employability for disabled Americans.

I'm looking forward to a follow up meeting with Mitch McConnell before Ms. Wheelchair America