Carolyn Fath Ashby
Adam Brabender: "I wanted more people with disabilities to be heard in the political process."
As someone who has lived with disabilities since birth, Adam Brabender is used to advocating for himself as he navigates a society in which he’s often slighted, misunderstood or downright ignored. Now he’s hoping to make disability rights a centerpiece of the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s platform.
Brabender founded the party’s disability caucus at its state convention on June 1.
First and foremost, he believes that people with disabilities both “visible and invisible” are politically underrepresented.
“Without criticizing any party, my voice has not always been heard because I haven’t been taken seriously by politicians in general,” he tells Isthmus. “I wanted more people with disabilities to be heard in the political process, so more people can be seated at the table and they can be equal citizens.”
Brabender says that one recent political conflict illustrates the need for the caucus: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) denying state Rep. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg), who uses a wheelchair, the ability the call in to some committee meetings. Brabender hopes the caucus can draw attention to similar issues regarding access.
It remains to be seen what role Wisconsin’s new disability caucus will play leading into the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee. Elsewhere in the Midwest, such caucuses back political candidates who are supportive of disability issues, get involved in crafting legislation, and encourage people with disabilities to run for office, says Terry Friedrichs, a special education teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota, who serves as Midwestern vice chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Disability Council.
“In my own experience of advocating for people with disabilities, if you have an organized structure, you’re more likely to step up,” he says. “You have some kindred spirits who are able to articulate some of those same issues you believe in. If there is no organization, it’s much harder to start from scratch.”
Brabender, 43, has autism and bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders. During childhood, doctors told his parents that he would never be capable of living independently — “that I would basically be a vegetable for the rest of my life,” he says. “My parents wanted better for me, so I’ve really tried my best. I’ve had to overcome a lot with medication and therapy.”
Not only has he been living independently, he’s studying social science and political science at UW-Whitewater and has been politically active in recent years, running for Dane County Board in 2016 and Democratic National Committee representative the following year. Though both bids were unsuccessful, Brabender has stayed active in order to fight for causes important to him. He cites transportation, especially in outlying areas of Madison where buses don’t run regularly or reliably, as a major priority for the new disability caucus.
The caucus currently has 75 members, and Brabender is actively seeking more (any registered Democrat can join). He hopes the caucus will recruit more people with disabilities to run for seats in the state Legislature, and he’d also like Republican lawmakers to pay attention to disability rights issues. “I want to engage with both parties,” he says. “Without sounding mean-spirited, I think it’s time for Republicans to do the same thing by taking the initiative and starting their own disability caucus.”
He’s encouraged by one recent example of a sort-of-bipartisan effort: Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order in March directing state agencies to remove the word “retarded,” among other insensitive terms, from administrative code. (A similar initiative was introduced on a smaller scale by Republican lawmakers earlier in the year, leading them to accuse Evers of stealing credit for their idea.)
As for his own political aspirations, Brabender is not ruling out another political campaign in the future, but there’s the practical obstacle of not having the deepest of pockets.
“I would love to run for office again,” he says. “I’m thinking about it, but I don’t know if I’m capable of raising all that money. Right now, I’m perfectly happy being co-chair of the disability caucus.”