I used to work at Disability Rights of Texas. I learned that some folks have some very obscure disabilities. One such disability is arthrogryposis. The impairment causes a person to have paralyzed arms. A reporter, Serge Kovaleski, suffers from arthrogryposis. The reporter wrote a story just after 9/11 quoting some law enforcement officials that some folks celebrated the 9/11 attacks with tailgating. Donald Trump has relied on that report to assert that thousands of Arabs in Jersey City celebrated the 9/11 attacks. Mr. Trump insists that celebration occurred even though that reporter today says he never did find any corroboration for that story. See CBS news report.
So, Donald Trump being Donald Trump mocked Mr. Kovaleski . The candidate did not like it that that the reporter backtracked hiss tory from 2001. He mocked the reporter’s physical appearance by holding his arms like jello – while attacking the reporter. He said the report might be an athlete like Mohammed Ali or J.J. Watt. …. It is not enough to simply disagree with the reporter. The presidential contender has to also mock his physical appearance? This from the same man who mocked one female news reporter for asking, in his opinion, inappropriate questions at a debate and who poked fun at the physical appearance of Carly Florina.
Disabilities are not funny. Physical impairments are not funny. If Donald Trump were to become president, I predict persons with disabilities will not have a friend in the White House.