Disability Rights
My mother works in special education, and I learn so much from her about what it means to truly care for the disabled community. I also have people in my life with disabilities, like my own friend and campaign manager, Zena Hajji.
Everyone knows someone who is disabled or will themselves become disabled during their lifetime. Aging is often a disabling event, and it’s something we all must go through. Yet, we still do not adequately include and accommodate everyone in our society. Every disabled person deserves the ability to thrive.
I continue to learn from many great activists and educators about disability, but one important lesson that I want to take with me to Carson City is the social model of disability. This is the concept that the disabled community is most often disabled by acts of society rather than their own medical diagnoses. For example, when we don’t have robust, accessible public transportation, the elderly and disabled struggle to move freely if they can’t drive a vehicle themselves. Another example is when a company would rather lay off an employee than let them complete tasks remotely, which is especially disabling because American health insurance coverage is often tied to one’s employment. We have built a system that does not properly acknowledge the humanity of the disabled and does not properly pay and support care workers & caretakers who enable many people to lead lives with dignity. This has to change.
Mack for AD-1 Campaign Manager, Zena Hajji, at our Campaign launch - November 2025
In addition to all her other important activism, Zena works hard to speak up about invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses. Her experiences with PCOS and other chronic sickness has made her a fierce disability and reproductive healthcare advocate.
