Speaker: David Ridenour
David Ridenour has been interviewed on a wide range of public policy issues, appearing on such shows as ABC “Good Morning America,” NBC Nightly News, CNN and the Fox News Channel. He has twice testified before special political commissions of the U.N. General Assembly and has testified before Congress. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune, among many other outlets.
Prior to joining the National Center, he served Executive Director of the United States Youth Council, an international exchange foundation established in 1945 and funded by the U.S. Information Agency. He is the father of three children, two of whom are on the autism spectrum.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Oregon, but his most notable academic qualification is that he attended Eagle Point High School in Oregon, two years behind Mark Pingle.
Topic
America has a disabilities crisis: Millions of our fellow Americans can’t achieve their full potential, not because they lack the skills or ambition and not because the government isn’t spending enough, but because government programs often penalize work and innovation, create perverse incentives that drive or create shortages, and bury those already struggling under mountains of red tape.
Today there are an estimated 653,000 Americans living on the street, many suffering from untreated mental disorders. This is due, in part, to ill-conceived government policies, such as the Institutions of Mental Disorder Exclusion. This policy has not only created a shortage of beds for the mentally-ill and those with substance abuse problems, but also it has led to overwhelming visits to our emergency rooms and specialized hospitals. Other disabled Americans have found themselves trapped in permanent government dependency, able to earn enough to lose their all their government benefits, but not enough to thrive.
David Ridenour launched Able Americans in 2023 to develop disabilities policies unlike those advanced by any other organization, policies that emphasize freedom and choice, not greater spending. If successful, it will be transformative. It will help the disabled live better, more fulfilling lives; reduce federal spending; help resolve some of the nation’s most difficult problems, including homelessness, substance abuse and rising incarceration rates.
As the saying goes, “If you love somebody, set them free.” We can show America’s disabled we love them by giving them greater freedom.
