
Mother’s Experience Moves Representative
Pennsylvania House Majority Whip Bryan Cutler says seeing his mother in a wheelchair played an important role in his becoming an advocate for people with disabilities.
The Lancaster County representative says his mother started using a wheelchair after she was diagnosed with ALS. He noticed how people treated her differently because she used a wheelchair, in spite of her unchanged intellect. This brought him to the realization that people often focus too much on the outside appearance of a person, rather than their inward abilities.
Rep. Cutler is committed to ensuring that all people with disabilities have access to the same opportunities that everyone else has in life. Rep. Cutler says “while I believe that the additional federal funds will be beneficial, I think it’s important that we look beyond the money and look to things such as quality of life as well as increased opportunities.”
Rep. Cutler has advocated for people with disabilities through working with his local Disability Empowerment Center (DEC) Council, and will continue to work with people with disabilities to ensure that they have additional opportunities in the community.
He advises employers is to hire people based on their abilities rather than their appearance. He would encourage them to create opportunities for people to live up to their fullest potential.
“I think it’s important to realize that America is the land of opportunity. This is not opportunity solely for people who look like everybody else but rather it’s an opportunity for all Americans,” Cutler says. “Unfortunately, society often judges people based on their appearance…, when actually what makes our communities great are the diversity and unique abilities of every person.”
“All life is precious and it’s important that we provide opportunities for everyone.”
By Alexa Brill
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