Embrace It with Lainie & Estela - Smashing Disability Stigmas

Embrace It: Episode 61 Cassidy Huff - Empowering Disabled Voters

• Season 2 • Episode 61

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation. This episode may contain discussions of political viewpoints that are personal to each guest. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions based on various perspectives. 

In this Episode: 

What if the key to championing disability rights and political activism lies in the experiences of a 22-year-old trailblazer? Meet Cassidy Huff, a remarkable disability rights activist, actress, and social media influencer. Cassidy’s life is a testament to resilience and passion, having faced 41 spine surgeries and living with Conrad-Hierman syndrome, yet never wavering in her pursuit of the arts. From serenading crowds of 17,000 at just four years old to leading grassroots movements, Cassidy’s story is one of extraordinary grit and inspiration.

Our conversation with Cassidy dives into the critical role of representation in media and politics. She shares her journey from a passionate performer to the executive director of the Disabled Voters for Harris campaign, illustrating the profound impact of disability advocacy in the electoral process. Discover the broader implications of disability rights and how every political decision can affect the disabled community, as Cassidy highlights the urgency of accessible healthcare and anti-discrimination measures.

We also tackle the pressing issue of voting accessibility. Cassidy provides practical advice for ensuring ADA compliance at polling places and empowers listeners with strategies to overcome barriers, whether through curbside voting or early absentee ballot applications. Concluding with a heartfelt discussion on self-acceptance, we celebrate the powerful messages of embracing one's disability and the potential for future leadership that Cassidy embodies. Don’t miss this inspiring and informative episode that highlights both the personal and political aspects of disability advocacy.

Hosted by Lainie Ishbia and Estela Lugo.

Embrace It is produced by Launchpad 516 Studios.

For sponsorships and media inquiries, drop an email to: embraceit@lp516.com

Subscribe to Embrace It with Lainie and Estela on Apple Podcasts and get notified of new episodes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/embrace-it-with-lainie-estela-smashing-disability-stigmas/id

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Speaker 1:

Disclaimer the views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embrace it podcast or the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation. This episode may contain discussions of political viewpoints that are personal to each guest. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions based on a variety of perspectives.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Embrace it series, where women with all types of disabilities can be real, resourceful and stylish. With each episode, you'll walk or roll away with everyday tips, life hacks and success stories from community leaders and influencers.

Speaker 1:

So take off your leg braces and stay a while with laney and estella hi I'm laney and I have cmt, and I'm estella and I also have cmt, a neuromuscular disorder affecting approximately 2.6 million people worldwide, that's as many as ms.

Speaker 3:

We believe disabilities should never get in the way of looking or feeling good. Both of us wear leg braces and have learned through our own personal journeys to embrace it.

Speaker 1:

Brought to you by Launchpad 516 Studios. Each episode is designed to challenge your own stigmas and beliefs around disability. We want our listeners to get the most value for their time spent with us, so we interview some of the most empowering disability badasses in the world. Through storytelling, personal experiences and tips, we're all reminded of our own strengths and endless potential.

Speaker 3:

For more information and exclusive resources, check out our websites at trend-ablecom and hnf-cureorg, and don't forget to hit the subscribe button for future episodes and special promos. Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Embrace it. I'm Lainey and hi Estella. Hey Lainey, how are you Happy? Fall it's finally today. As we're recording this, it's like the first day that it's not 80 degrees out here where I am in Michigan, it's like a little bit of fall, which is amazing. It makes me happy and I know our listeners probably those who are in the Midwest at least relate. It's been too hot for too long. We have everyone really. I know we say it every time, but this one is another really cool and on point, timely guest who's full of energy and super interesting.

Speaker 3:

I'd love to welcome to Embrace it podcast Cassidy Huff, and Cassidy is, in her own right, a podcaster. She is like an influencer of influencers on social media with like 47.7 thousand followers. She's an actress. She's part of the Eleanor on Spirit Writing Academy. She's an author. She's a service dog mom, which is the part that I'm super interested in. Of course, I'm interested in you in general, cassidy, but she is the executive director of the Disabled Voters for Harris campaign. So welcome, cassidy.

Speaker 4:

Hi, I'm so honored to be here.

Speaker 3:

Happy to have you.

Speaker 4:

Thank you, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

We have been following you for a while and, like Lainey mentioned, we love your energy and you speak about many, many different topics about disability and you are really a disability rights activist and we would love to learn more about how that came about, understand a little bit more about Cassidy and how you became this incredible, empowering activist.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, basically, cassidy, we want to know everything about you.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, so my name is Cassidy Heff and I and I'm 22, and I always have to say my age because people either think I'm way younger or way older than I am. So I don't know. I always like to set the record straight.

Speaker 3:

First and foremost, I was to meet you all the time. I know I understand Not the way older, the way younger, right, right.

Speaker 4:

Um, yeah, I was born with a rare genetic form of dwarfism called conrad hirman syndrome. Um, it there. It's so rare that only about 150 people worldwide have it. So, um, it affects everything in my body. It affects my spine. I have something called kyphoscoliosis, which means my spine bends on two different planes, so it bends in an S shape and a C shape, naturally, um. So when I was one, I had my first surgery, because if you don't medically, if you don't um, correct it with medical intervention, then it will crush your internal organs. So got to fix that and um, so I've had 41 spine surgeries in my 22 years.

Speaker 4:

I'm also deafblind, so I have no vision in my right eye and I am profoundly deaf in my left ear, so I wear hearing aid. As you can see, my entire right side is about five inches shorter than my left side, including my lungs, so I wear a foot-on-foot orthotic prosthesis. I also have something called proximal femoral focal deficiency, which means that my right hip joint didn't form, so my femur is significantly smaller. So I don't really have a hip joint technically. So it causes me chronic pain, just like my spine issues. I have a lot of nerve damage, so I am an ambulatory wheelchair user and a service dog handler. Those are just a few of the mobility aids that I use and, um, yeah, I uh I've had 43 surgeries in total, because I've had 41 spine surgeries and two eye surgeries in my short time on this earth and I'm trying to figure out if I, oh, I have a skin condition called ichthyosis, so I have to manage that, and I also have something called patchy alopecia.

Speaker 3:

So I think I covered all of my- Wow Well, Cassidy, for a 22-year-old, that is a lot for anyone of any age. So you know what, like I get it why people think you're older and younger and all in between, because you're a bundle of energy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you grew up with I mean from surgery to surgery by your disability, or did your disability at any point have an impact on your decision or your career path?

Speaker 4:

Did my disability have an impact? No, truthfully, it did not, not until way later in life I came out of the womb a performer, I like to say. The drama was there, so I loved to perform. When I was little I would organize how little kids organize shows for their families in their living rooms. And yeah, I took that to the next level. I directed, I produced, I wrote, I forced my little sister to act in them, but I was the star, you know. So I was born a performer.

Speaker 4:

I always knew that's what I was put on this earth to do, and I was singing at a very, very young age. My very first performance was um. Public performance was um, in front of a sold out crowd of 17,000 people, and I sang and uh, it was. It was a time and I was not scared at all and I remember I was four when that happened and I remember just being like this is what I was meant to do, like this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, even at four. And so I I knew that like performing was where it was at for me and um, so it was never really a thought in my mind like, oh, I'm disabled, so it was never really a thought in my mind like, oh, I'm disabled, maybe I can't be a performer. So I really took on music in my early teens and throughout my whole teens, actually, I was a musician and so, um, I I was a patient ambassador for Seattle children's and I would go to galas and perform and tell my story and raise money for the hospital. That truly saved my life, and I did a lot of make a wish events um did the same thing, you know, raised millions of dollars for those amazing organizations just to give back. And so I knew that, like the stage was my home and I always felt an immense pulling but almost responsibility to be on stage to tell my story and in whatever means that was at the time, whether it was through music, whether it was through acting.

Speaker 4:

So when I was a teenager, it was never really a thought. I was kind of like, well, yeah, I'm going to be an actor, like, obviously. And my whole family was like, yeah, like there's no ifs, ands or buts, like she's just going to do what she's going to do. So my mom became my manager at the age of like 14. And, um, she just started submitting me for auditions and I accidentally became a voice actor. I auditioned for something um, that was a completely separate project. And they wrote back and they were like thank you but no thanks. And I took that rejection pretty hard. But they said and I took that rejection pretty hard but they said, you know, we'll pass your information on. And I was like nah, okay, and um, they did.

Speaker 4:

Dreamworks found me through that audition and at 16, they reached out to my mom, cause I was a minor at that point and they were like we would really love Cassidy to try this voice acting. And my mom was like you want to be a voice actor? And I was like I didn't think so, but sure. So I ended up getting the gig on Eleanor uh of Eleanor Spirit Writing Free Writing Academy. I was the first disabled actor to voice a disabled character for DreamWorks Animation and it was an amazing time. And from there, you know, I, I, you know um worked for Mattel, for Barbie, and um I worked for Amazon and uh as a voice actor. So it was nothing that I kind of saw for myself, but I've always known that, like performing was my love language and it was. It was where it was at for me. So now I'm represented, I'm in LA and I'm doing auditions all the time.

Speaker 3:

Wow, that is so cool and you do have such a like a strong, powerful, yet calming voice. It's really beautiful. I can understand and so, like when I introduced you, I had no idea. I thought it related to horseback riding, so I guess that's how far away from like children's movies and television.

Speaker 3:

That's okay, so was I, you know. Well, yeah, I mean, I have a child your age, cassidy. Actually they are older, but it's okay, we won't go there, but I am super interested in I mean, okay, obviously you had a lot of stuff as a kid. You have a lot of stuff now, including chronic pain, including the fact in all these positive things as well, like you're this major influencer and actor and the political part. You know doing what you're doing right now, I mean with the vote, you know, with the election coming up and all the divide, I guess on social media, and you're a social media influencer and you have this organization that you are also running their social media. I bet the acting I'm assuming like came into, like I bet it all connects, because in order to start such an organization, in order to interact with people who are on the opposite party online and in person, how does that all relate?

Speaker 4:

Yeah. So as far as this year's election, it's the second presidential election I've ever voted in. It's my little sister's first ever election that she's ever voted in, and so there's a lot on the line, right, and I think no matter what side of the aisle you're on, you can see that there's a lot on the line, no matter where you stand on certain issues. However, I as I said before we started recording, you know, being disabled is a political statement. My rights are always up for debate as a woman, as a disabled woman and you know I have to recognize my privilege because I am a white disabled woman and, from my point of view, I am casting my vote not only to protect my rights, but to protect the rights of all of my disabled, you know, fellow disabled community members, and to protect the rights of every woman or person with a uterus out there, to protect the people that I love, but also to protect the future generations and my future children who will come after me, and making sure that they are safe and they are in a world where they don't have to worry about going to school and they are in a world where they can get the medical care that they need and they deserve, whether they're disabled or not. So I saw that all of these amazing grassroots organizations were forming right after Kamala Harris announced her run for the presidency and when with Black women started their organizing call, which was black women for Harris. And then I saw the white dudes for Harris call and the white women for Harris and all of these amazing grassroots organizations, and the one thing that was missing was that I didn't see myself represented and just like how I didn't see myself represented in mass media, whether it was on stage or in voiceover or on camera, whatever it was, I wasn't seeing myself being represented in a political climate either. So my friend and I, jane Mattingly, decided to host our own call for disabled voters for Harris and it got way bigger, way faster than we could imagine voters for Harris. And it got way bigger, way faster than we could imagine.

Speaker 4:

We are now a team of over 30 volunteers and I am facilitating all of those volunteers and I believe I am one of the youngest on the team and I'm in charge, so it's a little, you know, it's going from being in charge of myself to being in charge of 30 people and have never been in a corporate nine to five job. I've never been in charge of a team other than group projects in school, and I've never been in a corporate setting and I've never, you know, I took this right, you know, out of left field path that didn't involve sitting at a desk or being a team lead or anything like that. Now I'm in charge of 30 people, so it's a little overwhelming and to say the least, and it got way bigger, way faster. And so our mission at Disabled Voters is to mobilize disabled voters in this election to make sure that our voices are heard and that we are seen and we have a seat at the table, and we are providing resources to the disability community about their rights when they go to the polls and if they're in a mail-in ballot state or the accommodations that they can ask for.

Speaker 4:

And you know different things like that that I did not even know about four months ago, and now I'm like I have all of this information floating around in my brain and I'm being educated by other people every single day and I'm having to do a lot of research on my own every single day and then give those resources and information to other people who may need it. So it's a lot of work, it's a lot of pressure, but it's. You know, I believe that we're going to make a difference with this and I believe that when we fight, we win.

Speaker 1:

What is on the line? When we say, as people with disabilities, there's a lot on the line. What are some of those things from your perspective?

Speaker 4:

Well, I think, in order to understand that, we also have to go back a little bit to the fact that every issue is a disability issue, and the disability community is the only marginalized group that you can join and will join at some point in your life. Whether that's old age, whether that your life, whether that's old age, whether that's illness, whether that's an accident, whatever it is, you will become disabled, and so I think that scares a lot of people, right? Because our ableist society has trained us to think that disability is the absolute worst thing that can happen to you. And it's not. I'm here to tell you. It's really not. There are worse things. I could be dead, but there are worse things. And so I think, with that knowledge of you can be disabled at any time, and every issue is a disability issue.

Speaker 4:

You look at what the candidates and what each political party is talking about. Just pay attention to the actual language that they're using, right? So one candidate is trying to fight for improvements to health care. The other candidate said, and I quote all disabled people should just die. So you look at those two things, okay, and since you know that you're going to be disabled at some point in your lifetime. Who do you want fighting for you? Because one will and one won't.

Speaker 4:

And when we're talking about reproductive health care, that's a disability issue at the end of the day. Right, if you are pregnant and you have some kind of pre-existing condition that you didn't know about, surprise, that's a disability. If you have some kind of hereditary condition that you didn't know about, or even if you did know about and you're a high risk pregnancy, that's a disability and ultimately, you're not going to get the care that you deserve under one residency over the other. You actually will not be able to get that care at all. Um, you actually will not be able to get that care at all. So we're going to see a lot of disabled people dying.

Speaker 4:

Unfortunately, we're going to see a lot of um, we're going to see a unfortunately, um, a lot of disabled people wiped out by one presidency over the other, and we are, at Disabled Voters currently coming up with basically two business plans for where we want our grassroots movement to go after the election. Right, because I think, no matter who runs for president next in the next four years, it's incredibly important to still get those resources out to disabled voters, and that's not anything that I've seen before, and so you know, when you don't see anything for you, you make it, and that's that's really what we're doing. And so we're we're trying to come up with two business plans, because if he wins, we will be trying to protect the rights the bare minimum rights that we still do have, and when she wins, then we will be working to expand our rights, because the ADA is bare minimum.

Speaker 6:

We'll be right back. Thank you 516 studios. New episodes available every week on all of your favorite podcast platforms.

Speaker 5:

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Speaker 6:

Join us on the Speak podcast as our speakers step onto the stage and into the spotlight with impactful ideas and stories. We'll let you get back to the show.

Speaker 1:

You were listening to another great podcast from Launchpad 516 Studios. You're tuning in to Embrace it with Lainey Anastella, brought to you by Launchpad 516 Studios.

Speaker 4:

I think Project 2025 is very clear. I've read it not all of it, because who has time to read 900 pages? Not me. I've read a lot of it just to keep myself informed, to be educated, so that I can educate other people and it's very difficult to read. Don't read it for bedtime reading. Wouldn't recommend it. It's not a wind down kind of document, but it talks about the erasure of the Department of Education. Okay, so if you erase the Department of Education? Okay, so if you erase the Department of Education, where do disabled people stand? Where do disabled kids stand? Not even a thought.

Speaker 4:

Because we are in an ableist society, considered a disgrace. And they want to bring us back to a time before the Americans with Disabilities Act. They want to bring us back to a time where the ugly laws were a thing in this country and disabled people couldn't be seen out in public, and that's a very dangerous time. So when you ask me what issues are on the ballot for disabled voters, it's everything, it's every single thing. Every single thing is a disability issue. When you look at healthcare, when you look at women's reproductive rights, when you look at education, when you're looking at diversity, equity and inclusion, I mean those are the obvious ones. You go to the trickle-down economy. That's a disability issue, because most disabled people are in poverty, because it's forced poverty, because we have to pay for so many medical bills. When you look at insurance issues, I mean I could go on and on, but really every single issue is a disability issue and all of our rights are on the table. It's going to be life and death for a lot of people. If he went.

Speaker 1:

Wow, what are some of the rights that you think are most important for disabled voters to know off the bat? And obviously we are going to include your website, your resources, in the show notes. But what are some of the top rights that we should be aware of when we are getting ready to vote?

Speaker 4:

I am going to steal this PowerPoint from my wonderful, wonderful policy lead. So this just talks about all policy right. Talks about all policy right Generally when we're looking at the issues that disabled people should be very aware of that are on the ballot this election. Harris would like to, or has pledged that she will preserve the Affordable Care Act and actually make it better and protect Medicare and social security, and she said that multiple times that she would like to not only preserve but improve all of these different things. Right? Trump has said that they will replace the Affordable Care Act if he can come up with something better, which, okay. He's referred to the Affordable Care Act as lousy healthcare and he has a quote concept of a plan. And you know, when we're talking I'm sorry, the concept of the plan thing really makes me laugh. Um, when we're talking about healthcare specifically, that's going to affect every single family ever um in this country and it will also mainly affect disabled people. When we're looking at if you can get your medical aids, mobility aids at all I already have to fight with insurance. You want to give insurance more rights to deny me, are you kidding? No, harris, excuse me, supports restoring Roe versus Wade and that is a disability issue, as we just talked about the right to women's health care, and Trump says he supports leaving it to the states, he supports restrictions on abortion unclear on what exactly and at the end of the day, he says that he supports the big three right, which is rape, incest and life of the mother. And when you're talking about life of the mother, where is that line? Because when she's on death's doorstep, right, she now has a disability You've now, because she's going to walk away with permanent disabilities from that. You can't walk away from something like sepsis, you can't walk away from something like a hysterectomy without a permanent disability that will affect you for the rest of your life. And so when we're talking about Roe versus Wade in general, you know we're talking about healthcare, we're talking about the lives of disabled people, and I often ask people who are pro-life you know what about disabled parents that are about to give birth? And they don't think about that because they genuinely do not think that disabled people should be reproducing.

Speaker 4:

Trump, specifically, has said multiple times that all disabled people should just die. He's mocked disabled reporters. He is unclear on any disability issues. I'm convinced now this is going off the record, but I'm convinced he doesn't know what the ADA even is. Harris has talked about preserving the ADA. She has. The Biden and Harris administration has held multiple disability events at the White House, where they've invited disability activists and disability influencers to celebrate these milestones in our country as well. As you know, talk about the expansion of something like the ADA, and so those things I think, I think are the real issues on the table for disabled people. Also, you know the housing crisis, the economy crisis, the economy, like I said, forced poverty is huge for disabled people, and it's because of the debt that we're in and it's because of there's just not a lot of resources out there, and so I really, really know that a Trump presidency will make things worse for disabled people.

Speaker 3:

Okay, excuse my ignorance, but a lot of our and we did an episode with an attorney about disability, applying for disability, but I know that some of our listeners, you know, have acquired disabilities in their lives.

Speaker 3:

Estelle and I both have Well similar to you. We were born, I mean, we were born with our condition and ours gets progressively worse, so actually that applies as well. So if you're an employee and you are no longer able to work and applying for benefits, do either candidates have any sort of stand on making that process easier for people or increasing the amount people get or anything having to do with money and disability?

Speaker 4:

That's a fair question, and disability benefits I mean disabled people still don't have a marriage equality in this country, and so I think it needs to be an issue that both candidates talk about. Unfortunately, even though disability is inevitable for everybody, disability is often the last thing people think of right, and it's not at the forefront of people's minds, and so, no, neither candidate to my knowledge has said anything about that, and I'm honestly not surprised, because it is the last thing people think about until it's too late, until they have no other option but to think about it, and so I'm sure it's probably in the works, but to my knowledge, nobody has said anything about that yet.

Speaker 1:

And for those of us who are not sure what you mean when you say people with disabilities do not have marriage equality, can you clarify that?

Speaker 4:

Yeah. So if you're on disability benefits, which people think is really easy to be on and it's really not, it's not. Um, for example, I'm not and I'm I'm very open about this I'm not. I don't even qualify for disability benefits because I don't. I have too much money in my savings. Basically, I've worked too hard for too many years to be. I've worked since I was 14 and by choice, and you know I've worked in theaters and I've worked for different organizations and different things like that, and so I have too much money in my savings. And why that matters is because if you are on something like SSDI, which is Social Security, disability Benefits, you can only have $2,000 in assets, whether that is money in your savings account, whether that is things you own besides mobility aids.

Speaker 3:

You got to be kidding me. Wait a minute, Wait, so wait. Did you say $2,000? $2,000. So I know a little bit from being a social worker in the elder care arena and I know that there's a whole thing about like they are allowed. When you apply for benefits related to Medicaid, for example, you're allowed to own like and don't quote me, by the way, people, but you were at the time allowed to have an asset like a home. No, so when it comes to disability, you're not in this. No, oh gosh, An asset like a home would put you over.

Speaker 4:

So when it comes to disability, you're not in this. No, oh gosh, an asset like a home would put you over. So you are only allowed to have $2,000 in assets, meaning in your savings at one time. This is exactly what I was talking about with forced poverty $2,000 in my savings account. I couldn't afford to pay rent next month. So if somebody who is on disability benefits wants to get married, they want to apply for a marriage license. They can't, because you would think that if you're on disability benefits and you're only allowed to have $2,000 in assets for yourself when you get married, that doubles Incorrect. It only goes up to $3,000. So you and your spouse combined can only have $3,000 in assets. Otherwise you lose your benefits. So that means you lose your healthcare, you lose all disability benefits. So disabled people in this country do not have marriage equality and it is not talked about enough.

Speaker 4:

I know me and many, many other disability activists are screaming and have been screaming about it for years, and especially when you know gay marriage was legalized. That was huge and we were like, yay, gay marriage Is disability. Next, are we next? Nope, no, we are not. I don't know what year that was. It was what like 2016? I'm losing track. I don't know Something like that. And you know we were the disability community was really excited that we were next. Yay, no, we still don't have marriage equality in this country, and so that's another thing, and I really do hope that someone says something about disability in maybe the next debate, I don't know. Maybe something along those lines, but do I think it will happen? Probably not, just because people don't think about disability, it's not at the forefront of people's minds until it's too late.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I have a few fellow advocates in my circle and they're constantly in Washington DC advocating for marriage equality, ssdi increase and all of that.

Speaker 1:

But it's going to take like.

Speaker 1:

These are the things that I feel are so important to understand as people with disabilities, because these type of things do completely affect our lives on a day-to-day basis, when you think about just the amount of costs that go towards medical expenses, doctor's appointments, medications, mobility devices, this quote unquote disability tax that we all have to pay on top of our regular everyday expenses.

Speaker 1:

So I think this is Lives, yeah, yeah. This is something important that, whatever side you are on in this election, I want everyone to be empowered from this episode to research some of these topics, do your own research. Yes, yeah, that really matter to you that are going to make a difference in your life and understands the importance of getting out there and voting and I know we talked a little bit about the issues, but I'd really like to talk about the actual access to the polls, because I know that's something that a lot of people with disabilities may be hesitant to go out and physically vote, because what if I have to stand online for five hours? What if I don't have access to my medication. What if I all of these questions? Can you speak a little?

Speaker 4:

bit on that. Yeah, so here are the accommodations that I know of at the polls. I am currently in California and so we are a mail-in ballot state. I grew up in Washington state so we were a mail-in ballot. They still are. They're a mail-in ballot state, meaning that nobody in Washington that I knew of went to the polls, because that's not something that we did. I'm sure some people do, but everybody got their ballot in the mail. So growing up that's just how I thought you voted. I thought everybody had that ability, and that is not the reality of the situation.

Speaker 4:

So some states have an absentee ballot option, which means that if you cannot physically go to the polls and stand in line or wait whatever, you can apply for an absentee ballot and this means that your ballot gets mailed to you just like if you were in a mail-in ballot state. You can fill it out in the comfort of your own home. Send it in done Now. It is currently when we are filming this September 23rd. It is currently when we are filming this September 23rd. If you know that you need an absentee ballot, you need to be applying now. You need to be going to voteorg V-O-T-E, dot O-R-G to figure out if you are registered to vote in your correct state with your correct address, and they will give you the resources there to apply for an absentee ballot, if that is something that you know you need Now.

Speaker 4:

Some states don't allow absentee ballots and this is why ableism it truly is. It's ableism because they don't want disabled people going to the polls. And what states are those that don't allow absentee ballots? I can't tell you the specific states off the top of my mind, but I know what region they're in and they're all red, so they're all on that side of the country. So I know that they are all Southern states, the ones that don't allow you to do absentee ballot mail-in voting. And in that case, here's what you're going to do.

Speaker 4:

I literally just had this conversation with somebody who was telling me that the closest polling place to them in South Carolina is at a hotel, and they were very concerned because they were like what if I physically cannot get into the hotel? What am I going to do? So here's what I told him. I told him, and I have meetings with people for individualized voting plans. So I'm figuring out what county they're in, I'm researching where the closest polling place is to them, what their state's voting regulations are Like. I said, I have a lot of information in my mind that's not going to be applied to anything else, and this is one of them. So I told him that he or I if he felt comfortable with me doing it or his caregiver or his family member Could call ahead to that polling place and figure out if it was ADA accessible.

Speaker 4:

Now he might be saying all places need to be ADA accessible. That's true, are they no? So, you know, if there's a step up and he has a power chair, what's he going to do? Mm, hmm, so I said that he needed to call ahead to the hotel, ask them what the layout of the hotel is, pull up Google maps, you know, cause there's like a street view, right? You know, those might be a few, those might be a few years old, but they still work.

Speaker 4:

Or drive by it. If you have the ability to drive by it a week, two weeks, three weeks, before election day or early voting, plan it out. So plan out your transportation, plan out, um, after you get off the phone with that polling place, where you, where you're entering from, where the place is, if that hotel is carpeted, like most of them are and you are in a manual chair, be prepped for that. Rest for a few days before you know, because chair plus carpet, it's not a fun time.

Speaker 4:

And if you physically cannot get into the building, you are going to do one of two things you are going to tell them on the phone to connect you with a polling volunteer and they are going to bring your ballot to the curbside for you. They're going to bring your ballot. They're going to bring the pamphlet with all of the voting information and like what's on your ballot and the issues and candidates and things like that. They're going to bring it to you. They're going to bring a clipboard or something of the sort out to you. They're going to make sure that you are in a private space, probably off the path a little bit, so that you are not being there's nobody influencing your vote and you can vote in private there.

Speaker 4:

It is their responsibility to accommodate you at the polling places. If that is not an available option because they're giving you grief or whatever, you're going to go to a different polling place and you're going to do the same thing all over again. So there's curbside voting, there's absentee voting, there's mail-in ballots Once you're at the polling place. If you need an interpreter, if you need a sign language interpreter, you're going to call ahead and you're going to tell them that's exactly what you need. If you want me to do it, I'll do it. If you want you know, if you have a caregiver or a family member that can help you, they're going to do it. These are accommodations that are not. They're not debatable. Every single disabled person should go to vote and I understand we have to think about a lot more, but it is possible, like, we're going to vote and we're going to show up, show up in droves, honestly, to vote.

Speaker 3:

Cassidy, I vote you for president.

Speaker 4:

No.

Speaker 3:

I'm not, I'm not even kidding. First of all, while you're talking, I'm like looking, cause I'm in Michigan right now and I'm like looking at the state of Michigan website. You literally without by the way website, you literally without by the way, Cassidy's not reading anything right now, she's just talking and she, verbatim is like literally going through all the things that you have a right to as a person with a disability voting. Did I forget anything? Not one thing.

Speaker 3:

Wow, that's pretty good, I mean seriously. Wow, you are just so incredible, cassidy, you really were so informative. This is so timely and interesting and you know you do so much. So if you guys just check out Cassidy's Instagram, for example, is that your biggest area, cassidy?

Speaker 4:

No, my TikTok has over 200,000 followers. Oh my God, seriously, wow my TikTok has over 200,000 followers.

Speaker 1:

Oh my god, seriously. Wow, that's out of our age range, that's okay.

Speaker 3:

Oh my god, 200,000. Are you? Can you dance? Do you talk about makeup? No, what do you do? That's all I go on to TikTok for, by the way, not the dancing part, the aging skincare part. I'm like flooded in my inbox with Bethany Frankel and aging skincare. Hey they're pretty good, yeah, I know. They are really good, and if anybody's listening and wants to talk about chicken salad and Bethany Frankel, I'm here. Okay.

Speaker 1:

But what do?

Speaker 3:

you talk about on TikTok Cassidy.

Speaker 4:

Well, every single. So I have a method with posting, right, because it is my full-time day job and you have to treat it like a nine to five, especially when you're 22 and don't want to do anything all day. I want to crochet and play with my cat all day, and that's not. That's not. That doesn't make money. So I um, I do have a method to posting. So anything you see me post on Instagram, I've already posted on Tik TOK the night before, um, so every single reel that comes out every day, um, on my Facebook reels and Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, comes out the night before on my Tik TOK. And that's how I do it, so that I post the exact same things that you see on my Instagram on my TikTok.

Speaker 1:

Wow, we're not missing out. We don't have any phone moments, so how can people find you? And we will link to you in all of the show notes. But what's your handle? Is it the same on both platforms or across all platforms? Yeah, it should be.

Speaker 4:

Cass C-A-S-S-H-U-F-F. Cass Huff. And then I also have a website, cassidyhuffcom Super easy. And then I also have a podcast that you can listen to anywhere you listen to podcasts, or on YouTube, which is the View from 4 Feet and 3 Inches.

Speaker 3:

And if anybody wants to get involved with Disabled Voters for Harris, how would they do that?

Speaker 4:

disabled voters for Harris. How would they do that? Yeah, so, um, we have a website disabled voters for Harriscom um where you can message us there and one of my team members or me we'll get back to you. Um, I'm on top of them. Right now it's Monday and everybody took the weekend off, so I'm like, okay, is everybody checking their emails? So what's? So? What's going on? And we all have day jobs. Keep that in mind. Um, so, one of us will get back to you if you there's like a message, as, I don't know, I don't do the website, that's somebody else's job. Um, but, um, but if you want to get in touch with me directly, go to my profile. And then also, we do have social media at disabled voters for harris. If you just look up at disabled, the number four, harris, or on instagram, it's at disabled voters for harris.

Speaker 3:

so and we're going to put all these links in the show notes. Cassidy, we end, but before we end, okay, we're getting really on top of our ending because we sometimes in the past have not been consistent, but we are really on it. So, cassidy, we end every podcast by asking our guests. Cassidy, we end every podcast by asking our guests what does embrace it mean to?

Speaker 4:

you. I'm going to steal something that I heard my friend Alicia Anderson say on my podcast.

Speaker 1:

Oh, we do. Yes, we had her a couple.

Speaker 4:

She was just on my podcast. I was just on her podcast. I love her. I love her. She's one of my favorite people, and on my podcast this week she said something that was really powerful, and she said that I'm just going to put it in my words when I, as soon as I pushed through the fear that surrounds disability, and as soon as I decided to embrace my disability as one of not the only, but one of the most powerful aspects of me and who I am as a person, that is when everything clicked for me and that is when I started doing something, doing the thing that I was meant to do, and that is when, you know, other people started listening to me and hearing me and seeing me for the person that I am. And I think that if everybody, just you know, embraced themselves, whether disabled or not, just embrace themselves and who they are and didn't let anybody dull their sparkle, you know we, we would live in such a nicer, kinder society, and so I think that's what embrace it means to me Just embrace yourself.

Speaker 1:

Wow, I love we haven't had an answer like that, and I love that because that's really what it's all about. I think at the, at the foundation of the work that you do, that we do, that's it. It's helping people alleviate that shame, that internal ableism, that internal shame, so that they can be their best selves, live their best lives and do the work that they were meant to do. And you obviously are doing an incredible job of that and we are so glad you decided to come on and share your work and your story with us and I am writing in Cassidy Huff for president.

Speaker 4:

I mean I know it doesn't help, Don't throw your vote away.

Speaker 3:

I knew you'd be upset, but I feel okay, okay, cassidy, I won't I won't, but I want to. I really I know you. You are young when I think about it, but you're so wise, so thank you so much. It was like really cool and awesome meeting you.

Speaker 4:

And I'd love to have both of you on my podcast.

Speaker 3:

And we would be super honored.

Speaker 1:

Yes, let me know.

Speaker 3:

Everyone. This is another episode of embrace it.

Speaker 1:

So thank you for joining us and go out and vote, vote, vote, vote, vote. Thanks everyone. Bye, hey, embracers. Thank you so much for listening and supporting the embrace it podcast brought to you by launchpad 516 studios executive produced, produced by George Andriopoulos and hosted by Laini Ishbia and Estella Lugo. Our music and sound effects are licensed through Epidemic Sound Embrace. It is hosted with Buzzsprout. Do you have a?

Speaker 3:

disability-related topic you'd love for us to feature, or could someone you know be a fabulous guest on our show? We would love to hear your comments and feature them on our next podcast. So leave us a voicemail or you can even send us a text to 631-517-0066.

Speaker 1:

Make sure to subscribe to this feed wherever podcasts are available and leave us a five star review on Apple podcasts while you're at it. Follow us at embraceit underscore podcast on Instagram and make sure to follow all the great podcasts produced by Launchpad 516 Studios.

Speaker 3:

We hope you join us next time and continue to embrace it.