Carly Feins

I am in favor of passing this bill on the grounds of how it combats ableism in our system. Preventing people's voices from being heard on the grounds of them not physically BEING there to break quorum is ableist because it prevents people with valuable insight based on lived experience from sharing their stories. This, in turn, perpetuates ableism because the systems and structures don't get challenged or changed because there's nobody there to force people to think certain bills through. And with today's technologies - Zoom calls, FaceTime, and more - there's no need to stay so strict with IRL presences in quorum, especially if the infrastructure and culture still aren't 100% accessible for those who have different needs. Allowing these exceptions keeps ableism in check by accommodating the needs of people who live life with disabilities with readily-available technologies and a MASSIVE dose of empathy. This, in turn, keeps engagement going because instead of forcing the disabled world to constantly do things the able-bodied, neurotypical way, we meet them where they're at, which is crucial in inclusivity and allows the voices of people with disabilities to be factored in, no matter what it looks like. So, supporting this bill will be another step towards progress in combating ableism. Please do so!