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What made you politically active? For Rafael, it was because he had the opportunity to come to Washington DC, the center of politics. It helped him learn what was going on and how to get involved, “It really made me have to not just appreciate it, but be a part of it, and hat to actually make sure I had my own voice… make sure that I knew what I wanted to talk about.”

In this video, Rafael Rolón-Muñiz talks about how coming to the mainland of the United States and seeing the contrast of the quality of medical care available as supposed to Puerto Rico is what got him politically active.

Rafael, who has Congenital Glaucoma, reflects on the lack of medical treatments available in Puerto Rico. As a child, doctors told his parents to go to the mainland United States to seek treatment for his glaucoma, as there were not many doctors on the island who were familiar with treating it. Because of this experience, Rafael stresses the importance of the United States investing in ensuring the people of Puerto Rico have the same access to medical treatment as those in the states. As he put it,

“I think that there’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of ways that the US can invest in Puerto Rico. Among them really would be medical education and… medical advancement.”

He expands saying, “Puerto Rico used to have such a thriving pharmaceutical economy back in the day… I think that specifically with medical issues and such, there’s a lot of things that can be improved and providing those opportunities finically, or even by education would be a great way to bring that energy back and bring that education back.”

Rafael ends by encouraging all people with disabilities to go out and vote this election. If you are getting ready to vote, want to check your registration status, want to find out who is running for office in your area, or if you need to locate your polling place – visit www.Vote411.org.