Disability Simulations
Able SC in the strongest way possible discourages disability simulation exercises and instead promotes interaction with persons with disabilities, as it is more effective at building disability pride and cultivating awareness, inclusion, and true understanding.
Disability Pride
At Able South Carolina, Disability Pride is one of our core values. Individual and community pride in being part of the disability community is critical as it builds confidence to navigate life and not feel ashamed of having a disability. “Disability” is not a negative word. We are proud of who we are, and the barriers we have overcome have only made us stronger. It’s okay to have a disability. Disability Pride Month is celebrated annually in July in honor of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26th, 1990. Since then the disability community has used the month of July and this important anniversary to celebrate our Disability Pride!
Subminimum Wage
The federal minimum wage is a hot topic of discussion in the offices of political leaders and at family dinner tables. Yet the wage gap doesn’t start at $7.25 an hour, but lower. That’s because people with disabilities are subject to a draconian practice called “subminimum wage.” Thankfully, this practice in South Carolina has ended thanks to a joint resolution passed in 2022.
“Ending subminimum wage is finally employment justice for people with disabilities!," shares our CEO, Kimberly Tissot, "We are thrilled by the result, ensuring that people with disabilities are valued and equal members of South Carolina’s competitive workforce.”
However, subminimum wage is still legal in many places across the United States, as the federal law is still in effect. Able SC will continue to support the end of subminimum wage for all people with disabilities.
Employment First
As a Center for Independent Living that is grounded in the disability rights movement and run and operated by a majority of individuals with disabilities, we are united in the belief that community-based, integrated employment for individuals with all types of disabilities should be the only option when it comes to employment. Individuals with disabilities CAN work and should have the freedom, support, and opportunity to achieve competitive, integrated employment. We advocate for systems where funding for employment programs shift away from sheltered workshops and other non-competitive employment and move towards a system that promotes equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, regardless of the severity of the disability.
Guardianship
Able SC opposes guardianship for people with disabilities and supports the use of less restrictive alternative options.
As a Center for Independent Living, Able SC represents and serves the disability community. We have seen the firsthand success of utilizing supported decision making and other alternative options. In addition, we have seen the negative impacts of guardianship and the unintended consequences that often occur when a person’s rights and autonomy are overly restricted. We encourage our consumers and the families we support to seek the least restrictive option and strive to ensure that personal autonomy and independence remain. As an organization, we can provide resources, training, and support on supported decision making and other alternatives to guardianship.
Preservation of Disability History: BullStreet District
People lived at Bull Street. From the beginning of the United States' colonized history, people with disabilities have been segregated and removed from the rest of society. To address the discomfort and fear pressed by non-disabled individuals, the earliest forms of state-sanctioned institutions were established to house those who were deemed “unacceptable.” A person’s disability became criminalized.
In 1821, South Carolina joined this practice by establishing the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. Over time, all traces of the patients' lives, loves, hopes, and dreams outside of the asylum’s walls were erased. Unfortunately, that practice of erasure is still present today as the former Bull Street State Hospital complex is redeveloped for new use, with no trace of the stories left behind. Telling our disability stories is sobering but vital to sharing the complete history of Bull Street.
People, Not Patients is a project by Able South Carolina and Historic Columbia. With this collaborative project, we seek to elevate the stories of those who lived on Bull Street. What were their dreams? Who were their children or family? What can we do to highlight these are people, not patients? The stories in our exhibit linked below cover residents of the original asylum and are just the beginning of the many stories of the lives lived before, during, and after institutionalization.
Gun Violence & Blaming Disability
Stop Blaming Gun Violence on Mental Illness. Able South Carolina is devastated by increasingly regular shootings reported nationwide. In our own state, we have lost many to gun violence, including children. Like many of you, we feel outdone.
In the case of gun violence, the disability community is often gripped and thrown into the spotlight as politicians, grieving people, and scared neighbors proclaim “mental illness” as the target to blame.
We at Able SC want you to understand that this statement is false.
Disability & The Death Penalty
At Able SC, we oppose the death penalty because it disproportionately targets multi-marginalized disabled individuals, particularly those affected by systemic inequities, racial discrimination, and trauma. People with disabilities are overrepresented in the criminal legal system, facing barriers to adequate legal representation, understanding their rights, and accessing accommodations during their trials. The death penalty, a profoundly ableist practice, is often applied to individuals with intellectual, developmental, or psychiatric disabilities without proper consideration of how their disabilities influence their behavior, comprehension, and ability to participate in their defense. This failure to acknowledge and accommodate disabilities reflects systemic bias within the justice system and further dehumanizes people with disabilities, denying the value of our lives and bodies. For those who are disabled, Black, poor, or lack access to quality education, the likelihood of facing execution significantly increases. Able SC’s position is rooted in the belief that the death penalty is inherently unjust and perpetuates the systemic discrimination many disabled individuals face throughout their lives.
By advocating for the abolition of the death penalty and promoting disability justice, Able SC underscores its commitment to dismantling inequities and advancing the rights and dignity of disabled people.
South Carolina resumed state-sanctioned executions in the fall of 2024. The statement linked below is dedicated to Mr. Khalil Allah (known formerly as Freddie Owens), the first person to be executed under the death penalty in SC after 13 years. Mr. Allah was a member of our disability community.
Medical Rationing During a Pandemic
The lives of every person are equally valuable, and every measure must be taken to prevent the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on any marginalized group including those with disabilities. Inappropriate application of medical rationing and triaging out individuals with disabilities is unacceptable, abhorrent, and damaging to the fiber of diverse communities. While COVID-19 poses a serious strain on resources, Able South Carolina reminds all decision-makers of their duty to uphold the civil and human rights of people with disabilities no matter the context.