Support HR 1529 Marriage Access for Persons with Special Abilities Act
I am here to engage you to support the Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities Act.
I would like to share my story with you as a strong independent woman, self advocate, and public speaker with Down Syndrome. After 25 years of living at home, I am now living independently in my own apartment along with 12 other differently abled adults, including my boyfriend Matthew - in separate apartments of course.
I have known my boyfriend Matthew my whole life. We met when we were babies in the ARC’s Early Intervention Program and we reunited with each other at a social club event. We fell in love at first sight on the dance floor and have been together for 10 years. Matthew means the world to me. He is caring, wonderful, and he makes me feel so special and makes me laugh. He is the only one for me. Our dream is to eventually get married.
However, it is extremely difficult to realize this dream with all the “Red Tape” placed on SSI programs that dictate that two recipients married to each other receive benefit that is 25% less than if they simply lived together not as husband and wife. I feel it’s discrimination against people with special needs.
Everyone with special needs is entitled to a healthy fulfilling life. Our disability does not define us - it’s part of us. We are like everybody else who has needs. Everyone has dreams of what they want in the future: like get engaged, get married or have children. What I propose is to eliminate the barriers and make marriage accessible for all.
What I am saying is please sign this petition supporting the Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities Act. Please continue to create new pathways to ensure the full inclusion for all people with special needs.
I would love to grow old with Matthew. I would love to travel and have the ability to babysit our niece as a married couple, and to show her the beauty of life.
Thank you for your support,
Diana Stolfo
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
July 5, 2020
July 4, 2020
We are approaching 500 signatures and need to finalize this list to present to the relevant committee members. Please push this link to your personal networks today so we have the necessary leverage for our upcoming briefing.
Reached 100 supporters
June 26, 2019
June 23, 2019
We are approaching the one hundred signature milestone which will trigger a formal briefing request to the committee chair. Please direct your contacts to the petition link immediately so we hit this threshold before the end of the business day.
193 Comments
I have several chronic illnesses and chronic pain. I also have both developmental disabilities and physical disabilities. I have a long time boyfriend who I wish that I could marry, but since both of us are on SSI it would affect us to much to marry. I am really hoping this passes so we can marry and be happy together.
I’m a special need adult that has a wheelchair. Social security and ssi stopped my checks because I got married. My husband doesn’t have a income and is also a disabled. I don’t agree with the marriage penalty and it’s not fair for disabled people who can’t work.
I find this to be very discriminatory. People should not be forced to make a decision about marriage based on financial considerations. It’s not fair to cut peoples benefits because they decide to get married. It robs these people of the joys of being a married couple.
I fully support this I have Down Syndrome too and I have big dreams part of that is too get married have/adopt kids actually to experience what it’s like to be Married with someone I live one day
It's wrong to penalize people with disabilities by cutting their SSI checks because they choose to get married. They have the right to live together in marriage as man and wife. They can't work but would love to, why make life harder for them?
I know these two- they deserve the same rights, happiness & benefits that everyone else does.
Love you Support humanity
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Support HR 1529 Marriage Access for Persons with Special Abilities Act
I am here to engage you to support the Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities Act.
I would like to share my story with you as a strong independent woman, self advocate, and public speaker with Down Syndrome. After 25 years of living at home, I am now living independently in my own apartment along with 12 other differently abled adults, including my boyfriend Matthew - in separate apartments of course.
I have known my boyfriend Matthew my whole life. We met when we were babies in the ARC’s Early Intervention Program and we reunited with each other at a social club event. We fell in love at first sight on the dance floor and have been together for 10 years. Matthew means the world to me. He is caring, wonderful, and he makes me feel so special and makes me laugh. He is the only one for me. Our dream is to eventually get married.
However, it is extremely difficult to realize this dream with all the “Red Tape” placed on SSI programs that dictate that two recipients married to each other receive benefit that is 25% less than if they simply lived together not as husband and wife. I feel it’s discrimination against people with special needs.
Everyone with special needs is entitled to a healthy fulfilling life. Our disability does not define us - it’s part of us. We are like everybody else who has needs. Everyone has dreams of what they want in the future: like get engaged, get married or have children. What I propose is to eliminate the barriers and make marriage accessible for all.
What I am saying is please sign this petition supporting the Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities Act. Please continue to create new pathways to ensure the full inclusion for all people with special needs.
I would love to grow old with Matthew. I would love to travel and have the ability to babysit our niece as a married couple, and to show her the beauty of life.
Thank you for your support,
Diana Stolfo
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
July 5, 2020
July 4, 2020
We are approaching 500 signatures and need to finalize this list to present to the relevant committee members. Please push this link to your personal networks today so we have the necessary leverage for our upcoming briefing.
Reached 100 supporters
June 26, 2019
June 23, 2019
We are approaching the one hundred signature milestone which will trigger a formal briefing request to the committee chair. Please direct your contacts to the petition link immediately so we hit this threshold before the end of the business day.
193 Comments
I am an adult disabled child, I am so in love with my childhood love. However, I can not afford to loose my Medicare insurance and the benefits my father worked so hard to provide for me. We do desperately want to be married for moral and spiritual reasons.
I have several chronic illnesses and chronic pain. I also have both developmental disabilities and physical disabilities. I have a long time boyfriend who I wish that I could marry, but since both of us are on SSI it would affect us to much to marry. I am really hoping this passes so we can marry and be happy together.
I’m a special need adult that has a wheelchair. Social security and ssi stopped my checks because I got married. My husband doesn’t have a income and is also a disabled. I don’t agree with the marriage penalty and it’s not fair for disabled people who can’t work.
I find this to be very discriminatory. People should not be forced to make a decision about marriage based on financial considerations. It’s not fair to cut peoples benefits because they decide to get married. It robs these people of the joys of being a married couple.
I fully support this I have Down Syndrome too and I have big dreams part of that is too get married have/adopt kids actually to experience what it’s like to be Married with someone I live one day
It's wrong to penalize people with disabilities by cutting their SSI checks because they choose to get married. They have the right to live together in marriage as man and wife. They can't work but would love to, why make life harder for them?
I know these two- they deserve the same rights, happiness & benefits that everyone else does.
Love you Support humanity
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I am an adult disabled child, I am so in love with my childhood love. However, I can not afford to loose my Medicare insurance and the benefits my father worked so hard to provide for me. We do desperately want to be married for moral and spiritual reasons.