Connecticut Excludes the Disabled -- Again

Connecticut is well into the planning stages of health reform implementation. That means setting up a bunch of advisory committees, including committees that will give consumers a voice in health reform. Since we have worked so hard on health reform on both the federal and state levels, we hoped to be on the Health Reform Consumer Advisory Board. Indeed, according to the official vote tally, we were among four people voted first by the Health Care Cabinet. However, we were not selected.

Instead, Jeannette DeJesus, the Governor's Special Advisor on Health Reform, chose people further down on the list. She claimed to have done so in the name of diversity. However, since I am a person with a disability under the ADA, and there are no other people with disabilities on the Committee, you'd think that including me would have promoted diversity, no?

Apparently not in Connecticut. Jennifer