10/22/26 - Three more angles on the U.S. Midterms

Hi there!

I hope you all don't mind some more election / politics stuff!

A 7-year-old boy needs disability care. These parents united to help

Jayme Fraser, USA Today - October 7, 2026

"People rallied at the Arkansas capitol to describe the hardships of waiting years for disability services loved ones needed to stay at home rather than live in an institution. Three posters leaned on the lectern in front of the speakers, including one of a child who died while waiting for the government to fund that care."

More disabled people voting isn't just about battling the bad, ableist vibes that have come with the Trump era. There are substantive, critical, easy-to-understand things to fight for. One of the most fundamental and easily corrected problems disabled Americans face is the problem of fully qualifying for home and community-based services, but their state governments won't pay for them so they're on "waiting lists." It's kind of odd to me that this isn't a bigger unifying issue for disability activism and politics. As I've said before, I'm generally not in favor of complaining that the specific issues I care about in disability activism don't get enough attention. There are lots of disability issues and initiatives worth working on. But this one seems like an obvious unifying theme for disability politics. All state-level candidates should be grilled about waiting lists.

Two Texans, Two Sets of Wheels, and a Fight for the Soul of the State

Tina Argetsinger, The Disability Perspective - September 29, 2026

"Where Abbott relied on personal determination to rise within traditional political power, Dart treated his privilege as a debt to be repaid on the front lines of civil rights ... Their split is not simply a debate over laws. It is a battle over the meaning of equality itself."

This is a remarkable dual biography of two disabled Texans who in vastly different ways made an impact in politics. And as the quote above says, it's not just about two men with different political philosophies. It's about two different approaches to the meaning of disability and the role of disabled people in politics.

Josh Turek for Iowa

Josh Turek for Senate Campaign

"Josh is committed to shaping economic policy decisions that benefit the middle class and workers rather than Wall Street and billionaire donors. Josh is committed to alleviating the economic pressures faced by increasingly cash-strapped Iowans and their families. He is a strong supporter of public education and has been a vocal opponent to school vouchers. He has been and continues to be a relentless advocate for major reform to Iowa’s broken health care system. He is a strong proponent of meaningful and effective environmental protection - especially the air, food, and water we all rely on."

The campaign for the U.S. Senate from Iowa is probably the most prominent and important U.S. election contest involving a candidate with a disability. I'm not Turek's biggest fan, politically. But I do hope he wins. And it is interesting to see how he depicts and uses his disability in his pitch to voters and how it is received. At least on a superficial level, it seems like Turek combines elements of the two approaches discussed in the article about Greg Abbott and Justin Dart, Jr. He puts his story of becoming disabled and thriving with it up front, while also advocating policies that center and support others in meaningful, material ways. I look forward to seeing how Turek's approach works in November.

Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote Disability Thinking Weekday by forwarding it by email or posting on your social media. You can also comment by sending me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com. Collected comments are shared on the first of each month. A free subscription sends a newsletter to your email each weekday. Benefits of paid subscription include:

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