Interview with the Founder of the Disability Movement for Hillary
By Susan Youngwood
Philadelphia, July 24 — Jennifer McCann has not let her spinal cord injury slow her down. She may wear leg braces and use a cane, but she’s traveled all around the country to campaign for Hillary Clinton.
“This is the most important election in my lifetime,” explained McCann, who lives in Nyack, NY, but has knocked on doors (“sometimes twice”) in Minnesota, Nevada, Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Arizona.
McCann is passionate about supporting the disabled and those with mental illness. Her mother has a mental illness and Alzheimer’s disease and her brother died from a mental illness. She started the Disability Movement for Hillary.
“She is a strong advocate for the disability community,” said McCann. “Hillary’s plan for Alzheimer’s is fabulous. We now have a voice for these issues. That’s what America is looking for.”
McCann hopes to watch Clinton accept the nomination on Thursday. “This is so extra special,” she said. She and her friend, Diana Hess, who is covering the convention for the disability and mental health community as a representative of jawonio.org, agreed that their emotions, like many in the audience, may be hard to control.
“Instead of balloons and confetti there needs to be tissues.”
