Best Article On The ABLE Act

What you should know about the ABLE Act

Justin King, New America Foundation Weekly Wonk / Vox.com - December 19, 2014

Large kudos to Vox.com for posting the best article on the ABLE Act I have ever read. It accurately describes the problem the ABLE Act was designed to address, properly notes that the new law will probably help, but also explains the new law’s shortcomings. It seems like everything else I have read in the last couple of weeks has been either a completely uncritical fluff piece on how awesome it is that Congress passed the ABLE Act, or bitter and somewhat over the top denunciations of the law’s last-minute limitations. This article even describes exactly how the law itself is a better deal for higher income than lower income families and individuals … something a few Tweets and blog posts alluded to in dire tones in the lead-up to passage, but rarely explained.

Beyond this particular issue, I think it’s really important for the disability activist community to encourage high-quality reporting from mainstream news and opinion outlets on disability policy. Most disability stories come off as journalism-lite … lots of sugary flavor and zero calories.

(Hat tip to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network).