Gus Walz's powerful DNC moment shows the need to confront bullying

When the camera cut to Gus Walz on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, I saw a young man living a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — his dad, his hero, his biggest supporter — was being considered for one of the highest offices in the land. Gus couldn’t contain his pride or tears.

It was a powerful moment, one that brought out the very best and the worst in the people who witnessed it. "Talk about weird," right-wing pundit Ann Coulter posted and subsequently deleted from X. "If the Walzs represent today's American man, this country is screwed," shot off conservative radio host Jay Weber on X in a longer, inflammatory post he later deleted. Both apologized. Weber was taken off the air.

Their apologies focused on how they didn’t know about Gus’ disability. Gus has ADHD, an anxiety disorder, and a nonverbal learning disorder. Bullying a teenager is always unacceptable, and I hate to break it to them but in real life bullying people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including autism, looks and sounds exactly like that.

I see it every day as a mom and as a special needs attorney. My daughter Lauren has faced bullying her entire life. She was born with Sturge-Weber syndrome, which gives her a unique physical appearance and impacts cognition and medical health. When Lauren goes out in public people stare or make offhand comments like, "What’s wrong with her?"

The otherness projected onto my daughter isn’t her issue alone — it’s all of ours. We must collectively come together to address the roots of ableism and redirect focus to self-awareness about shifting social norms toward inclusion.

Both sides of the aisle came to Gus Walz’s defense. We must be proactive and ensure that our political platforms remain inclusive. We cannot be bystanders to bullying especially now as the number of children with diagnoses of autism, intellectual disability or developmental delay is increasing, according to a 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Let’s show people how inclusion and belonging create a better future for everyone. People must see and believe it’s possible because even with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, disability discrimination and bullying persist. According to an Urban Institute 2023 report, adults with disabilities "have worse self-reported physical and mental health status, lower employment rates, and higher rates of chronic illness, poverty, and material hardship than adults without disabilities."

Working toward full inclusion and belonging starts with education, awareness, and relentless advocacy. It took 25 years for Nassau County to advance reimbursement rates for speech, occupational, and physical therapists assisting preschoolers. There's more to do.

Funding is lagging statewide to support people with I/DD in our communities. People with I/DD need hands-on assistance from individuals called direct support professionals to lead healthy and independent lives. This profession is relatively unknown outside of the sector and remains underfunded despite annual campaigns. On a positive note, federal recognition of these professionals is being considered with a bill in Congress that would ensure the Office of Management and Budget collects data on direct support professionals to help inform lawmakers’ funding decisions.

Please, take time to better understand these issues — and share your support with legislators. The spotlight that shone on Gus Walz shines on us, too, as our collective call to action.

This guest essay reflects the views of Saundra M. Gumerove, president of the board of directors at AHRC Nassau and adjunct professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.