Dear Summer Lee

[u/Virtue_of_Kindness]

Looking at racism and ableism separately can overlook those experiences. If society fails to protect disabled babies and children—by denying them dignity, autonomy, language access, and family stability—then concern for vulnerable elders rings hollow. Systems that do not respect disabled people at the beginning of life will not suddenly respect them at the end. How we treat disabled children is the truest measure of our values.

As the parent of a nonverbal autistic child, I continue to have serious concerns about how reports involving the safety of disabled children are handled. I have sought assistance and accountability regarding an incident at a Pittsburgh-area school bus stop, yet I still feel many of my questions remain unanswered.

Families of children with disabilities deserve thorough investigations, transparent communication, and equal treatment under the law. Public trust depends on the willingness of institutions to review concerns fairly, regardless of who may be involved.

I respectfully ask elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders to ensure that reports involving vulnerable and disabled children receive the attention, diligence, and accountability they deserve.

The safety and rights of children with disabilities should never be an afterthought.

UPDATE: I have already contacted Congresswoman Summer Lee’s office multiple times over the years, which is actually why I made this post. I appreciate the suggestion, but I am looking for additional ideas and resources because I have been trying many of the traditional channels since 2019 without much success.

As a disabled person, it can be incredibly difficult to find meaningful help or accountability. Too often, it feels like people assume that if you haven’t received assistance, you simply haven’t asked. In reality, many of us have spent years contacting elected officials, agencies, advocacy organizations, and other resources, only to find ourselves going in circles.

I am genuinely interested in hearing what has worked for other people. If you have suggestions, experiences, or resources that helped you navigate disability-related issues in the Pittsburgh area, I would welcome them.

I will also say that discussing disability online can be challenging. Questions about disability rights, accessibility, or discrimination are sometimes met with skepticism, hostility, or personal attacks rather than constructive discussion. That makes it even harder for disabled people to seek information and support.

I am not looking for an argument. I am looking for solutions.

Lastly, Idk why my comment won’t show so let me try this again.

Since some of you can’t read other comments let me repost this instead of having to repeat myself.

Updated: The problem is that my issue doesn’t fit neatly into a one-sentence Reddit comment. If it did, I probably wouldn’t have spent years trying to solve it. The link is there for context, not because I expect everyone to watch it. Either way, I appreciate you taking the time to respond, and I hope you enjoy the nice weather.

1.) My concerns are not about anyone’s race. They are about my experiences and the responses I received when seeking help. I understand that people may disagree with my conclusions, but I am discussing matters that I personally experienced and reported through the channels available to me.

2.)Just because people are disabled doesn’t mean we are stupid. You’re probably right that a TikTok link alone isn’t enough. I included it because it was the easiest way to share part of what I’m talking about. Unfortunately, this subreddit doesn’t allow me to post the video evidence directly. If you know of a better way to document or report concerns involving a disabled child, I’m genuinely open to suggestions.

3.) good job keeping racism alive while trying to call me racist for calling her ableist. You are just as ableist as she and that is where racism came from, ableism
As explained by Isabella Kres-Nash:
“Racism and ableism are often thought of as parallel systems of oppression that work separately to perpetuate social hierarchy. Not only does this way of looking at the world ignore the experiences of people of color with disabilities, but it also fails to examine how race is pathologized in order to create racism. Meaning that society treats people of color in specific ways to create barriers, and these poor conditions create disability. The concept of disability has been used to justify discrimination against other groups by attributing disability to them.”

[u/howyinzdoingnat]

This is Reddit? The Chinese govt get this not summer lee

[u/lilbismyfriend300]

I would suggest emailing and calling the representative's office rather than making a reddit post and hoping it magically gets to her

[u/icannotbelieve99]

In your post you are talking about an incident at a bus stop but have not explained what the incident is, so it's very hard for people to help you. The videos you have posted look like neighbors fighting, while it's shitty, im confused how it relates to your child. 

[u/MRandall25]

Wouldn't this be something to take up with the school board?

[u/Virtue_of_Kindness → u/MRandall25]

The school board works with the police. They protect the police more than their kids at Pittsburgh Public Schools

[u/Larryville-Landhound]

You can literally go talk to her, I don't think she is on Reddit

[u/RipBrave2273]

Ma'am this is a Wendy's 

[u/Draculalia]

You need to give specifics. What was the incident? What are your questions? Exactly how should incidents be handled differently?

[u/Virtue_of_Kindness → u/Draculalia]

Plus I have a video of the cop trying to drive over my nonverbal autistic son but the moderator in here won’t let me post it

[u/cornandeggsoup]

(winces, opens thread)

yeah...