Introducing messages from our CEO:
Kickin' It with Kimberly

It’s important to us that we keep you well informed of current issues and barriers impacting people with disabilities. Our CEO, Kimberly Tissot, knows that you are central to our efforts to promote disability rights, justice, and freedoms. Letters will be written to you, your key supporters, about the injustices we find and the keys to the solutions we can offer as a disability-led organization.

Equity and Disability: A Call to Action

Friend,

Equity is more than just a concept, it's a lifeline. It means recognizing that not everyone starts from the same place and that true fairness requires giving people what they need to succeed, not treating everyone the same. For people with disabilities, equity is critical because it is the bridge between exclusion and inclusion, between surviving and thriving. It is what allows us to participate fully in society, with the dignity, respect, and opportunities that everyone deserves.

Despite our skills, qualifications, and determination, disabled people face staggering barriers in employment. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is consistently more than double that of non-disabled people. Its not because we lack ability; its because we are overlooked, underestimated, and discriminated against. Employers often can't see past our disabilities to recognize our talents. We have to be more than qualified and we have to fight just to be considered. Imagine how exhausting it is to constantly prove your worth, not because yore not good enough, but because society has decided you are less valuable.

Growing up with a disability, I felt like I didn't belong. This came with depression, anxiety and sometimes even questioning whether I should stay alive. I didn't fit into the mold society had created for what was “normal.”

In classrooms, in social circles, even in public spaces, it was clear that the world wasn't designed with me in mind. I wasn't lacking anything but I was living in a system that lacked equity. If equity had been present, I wouldn't have felt invisible or othered. I would have had the supports, opportunities, and environment that acknowledged my needs and celebrated my differences. I wouldn't have had to mask my struggles or hide parts of myself to feel accepted.

Equity is not special treatment. Its not about giving disabled people an unfair advantage. Its about leveling the playing field so we have a fair shot just like everyone else. Equity doesn't mean lowering standards; it means removing the barriers that prevent us from meeting them. It ensures that success isn't reserved for those who fit into a narrow definition of ability. Without equity, we are not competing in the same race, but we’re starting miles behind.

Equity gives us freedom. It gives us independence. It allows us to live authentically, to contribute to our communities, and to pursue our goals without being held back by systems that were never built with us in mind. It's the key to unlocking potential, not just for disabled people but for society as a whole.

Yet, despite all this, disabled people remain one of the most disrespected and marginalized communities in America. One in four adults in the U.S. has a disability. In South Carolina, its one in three. We are not a small, invisible group we are your neighbors, your coworkers, your family members. And still, people support policies and practices that deny us equity, that strip away our rights, and that keeps us on the margins. It's painful to know that our fight for basic respect and inclusion is met with resistance, apathy, or outright hostility.

This fight isn't just professional for me, it's deeply personal. My son is also disabled, and navigating the systems meant to support him has been a relentless battle. In South Carolina, there are virtually no services tailored to his disability. We’ve faced constant recommendations to place him in segregated classrooms, where his potential would be stifled instead of nurtured. Schools have overlooked the fact that his mother is a disability rights advocate, forcing me to fight tooth and nail for his right to an equitable education. It shouldnt take a parent with advocacy experience to secure basic rights for their child but thats the reality when equity is absent. My son went from struggling and being set up to fail to thriving because he finally received the supports he needed. This is the power of equity not just for one child, but for every child who deserves the chance to succeed.

I want you to pause and really think: Do you believe that disabled people shouldn't have equity? If your answer is no, if you believe we deserve the same chances, respect, and opportunities, then how are you showing it? How are you challenging the systems, the biases, and the barriers that hold us back?

Being an ally isn't about good intentions; its about action. It's about speaking up when you see injustice, advocating for inclusive policies, hiring qualified disabled people, ensuring accessibility, and challenging ableist attitudes both in others and within yourself. Equity isnt just our fight; it should be everyones fight.

Without equity, disabled people, especially children struggle. They face barriers in education, employment, healthcare, and every aspect of life. They grow up believing they’re the problem when, in reality, the problem is the lack of equity. Its heartbreaking to see kids internalize the message that they don't belong because the world refuses to make space for them.

Disabled people deserve respect. We deserve to be seen, heard, and valued. Equity isn't just a policy or a buzzword, its a reflection of our humanity. Its the acknowledgment that our lives matter, our contributions matter, and our future matters. We’re not asking for favors. We’re demanding what should have been ours all along: the right to exist in a world that sees us as whole, capable, and worthy.

So, I ask you this: Will you be a bystander, or will you be a champion for equity? Because the future we build for disabled people is the future we build for all of us.

- Kimberly Tissot, President and CEO, Able South Carolina