One very visible piece of the effort came Wednesday in a policy speech here devoted to initiatives to more fully integrate those with disabilities into the nation’s economy. It is an issue, Clinton said, that “really goes to the heart of who we are as Americans.”
Speaking in a packed community-center gym in this presidential battleground state, Clinton pledged to fully support “a group of Americans who are, too often, invisible, overlooked and undervalued, who have so much to offer but are given too few chances to prove it.”
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Before Wednesday’s speech, Wohl participated in a conference call between campaign aides and disability advocates to preview what the candidate would say.
And behind the scenes, the campaign had already enlisted more than 200 advocates for disabled people, who have been vouching for Clinton on social media, developing policy positions and raising some $1.3 million for her campaign, according to a Clinton adviser.
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According to former congressman Tony Coelho, who has known Clinton since her husband’s first presidential run, the two began working on disability issues when Clinton launched her campaign nearly 18 months ago.
Clinton first wanted to address Alzheimer’s disease, then autism, then mental health and now an economic agenda for people with disabilities, according to Coelho, who has epilepsy.
In January, while still competing for the nomination, Clinton delivered a speech on autism policy — drawing notice from many in the disability community. Since then, she has sought to highlight her commitment in other ways.
Coelho noted the prominence of people with disabilities at the Democratic National Convention in July.
“As we saw at the convention, we were mentioned every night by every major speaker,” Coelho said. “We’re mentioned 35 times in 19 different sections in the [party] platform. That’s never happened.”