Iowa disability rights groups plan candidate forums focused on issues faced by disability community

Two disability rights groups are hosting a series of candidate forums for the first time focused on issues faced by Iowans with disabilities.

Disability Rights Iowa and the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council planned seven forums throughout the state that will feature candidates for the Iowa Legislature.

“It’s a unique way for us to have our community, and the important issues that face our community, kind of become front and center for all of the people that are running for different state offices,” said Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa.

She said the forums are for Iowans with disabilities to have an opportunity to understand how candidates running for state office think through disability issues.

“It’s been our experience that people in general don’t think about disability unless you have a disability yourself, or you have a friend or a family member with a disability,” Johnson said. “So having the chance to connect early in an elected official’s career and talk about disability issues is really impactful.”

She said because many lawmakers don’t always have disability issues on their mind, bills passed in the legislature often have unintentional negative consequences for the disability community.

Piper Haugan, a voting rights advocate at Disability Rights Iowa, said the candidates will be asked about their experience with the disability community and their policy priorities related to disability.

“And of course, every policy that occurs in the legislature does affect people with disabilities,” she said. “So we want to really be able to hear how they consider the disability community when they’re reviewing those bills.”

Haugan said the forums will also offer voting information to people who attend.

“We are just really excited for getting the community together, to getting folks from all different backgrounds of disability into the same room and talking and making those connections,” she said.

Each forum will have American Sign Language interpretation and captioning.

The forums are at 6:00 p.m. on the following dates:

• Oct. 1 in Council Bluffs
• Oct. 8 in Waverly
• Oct. 10 in Sioux City
• Oct. 16 in Ankeny
• Oct. 17 in Waukee
• Oct. 22 in Des Moines
• Oct. 24 in Ottumwa