Chris Haulmark​ discusses about institutional ableism.

[Video Description: Chris Haulmark is sitting and wearing long-sleeved gray button-up shirt.]

Hello everyone!

I am Chris Haulmark, running for Kansas's Third Congressional District.

Today's vlog discusses about one of the largest obstacles faced: Institutional Ableism.

Ableism is an institutional oppression tool of inequity, just as racism and other intersectional -isms are.

Ableism discriminates in favor of able-bodied people

Obviously, I am a Deaf person.

Clearly, I use a different language than most Kansans and Americans.

Providing full access requires accommodations such as American Sign Language interpreting teams, multimedia captioning, and other modifications.

While I am campaigning at venues and events, it is my right to request accommodations of the hosts supporting these venues and events.

These frequent requests are expected.

Even then, I face some institutional ableist barriers.

A recent example: a fellow Democrat leader insisted the American Sign Language interpreting team accommodation expenses should not be covered by state PACs.

Those accommodation expenses are perceived as an in-kind contribution.

In Kansas, it is unlawful for state-level PACs to make in-kind contributions to federal candidates.

I dispute this, since the federal American with Disabilities Act protections overrule state law.

To resolve this dilemma, I sent a letter to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, requesting a determination.

The Commission determined that campaign finance state law does not apply to ADA accommodations requests from a federal candidate.

It was also determined that the requested disability accommodations must be provided by the public venue & event supporting organizations to be in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act protections.

Now the big questions are:

Why did I have to fight for this by myself?

Why didn’t my fellow able-bodied Democrat leaders make the state-ethics inquiries on ADA compliance for all of us disabled Kansans?

Are they truly demonstrating their embrace of the "Equality For All" slogan?

This institutional ableism is a major obstacle that I frequently face.

Today, in 2017, I am still raising awareness in educating everyone by exposing how ableism does hurts all of us disabled Kansans and Americans.

Overcoming institutional oppressions so important for us Americans!

Let’s make the change to eliminate institutional ableism together and inclusively unite!

Yes, Together We Can!

[Video fades into a black background with a logo of a cartoonish Chris Haulmark signing “Believe” with white text of “Yes, We Can Believe” below the logo. There is the text of www.HaulmarkForCongress.com at the bottom]