Statement of Solidarity with the Disability Community

On October 27, 2026, the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights (CHR) adopted the following statement affirming its solidarity with the disability community and its commitment to dignity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion for all.

Statement of Solidarity with the Disability Community 

The Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights (CHR) recognizes that it is crucial to advocate for the disabled community, especially now in a time when folks of varying needs are being ostracized and denied the care and treatment they deserve. One in four adults in the United States is recorded as having a disability according to the CDC, leading to an estimated total of at least 61.4 million disabled people nationwide. Approximately 58,000 residents are recorded with at least one disability in Sonoma County, representing just over 12% of our population.

People with disabilities have long been harmed by ableism in both societal and governmental structures. We know that in the 1800’s, governments and scientists escalated eugenicist interests and formed standards that framed any straying from “normative” presentation or productivity as deviation, and shaped modern disability systems as we know them. As a result of these discriminatory systems, practices, and ideals, people are unnecessarily forced to struggle every day to get their basic needs met - whether that is being treated with dignity and respect by their community, or being able to access daily necessities such as transportation, work, medical care, and social interaction, in addition to individual disability support needs. The current political climate in the U.S. has dramatically exacerbated the harms imposed by society on people with disabilities by creating a culture of fear, uncertainty, and shame; by normalizing the mockery and mistreatment of people with disabilities; and by violently taking away funding from people with disabilities and the people and systems that support them.

We recognize and advocate for immunocompromised and chronically ill people, deaf & hard of hearing people, blind people, neurodivergent people, mentally, intellectually and/or developmentally disabled people, physically disabled people, people with trauma- and stressor-related disorders, and all others with disabilities.

We recognize the importance of the experience of multiply marginalized people with disabilities, who may also be people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, homeless, incarcerated, or had their ancestral lands stolen.

We affirm the lived experience and encourage the leadership of those most impacted by ableism.

We commit to being firmly rooted in solidarity with all disabled people, and call upon all elected officials and community members to uphold allyship and advocacy with and for them.