22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 27-august 2, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com something. Long has become an activist by necessity: “I never saw myself in this role until it happened,” she says. But she felt that she had to take action: “I didn’t want to close myself off from joy.” She brought her cause to her representative in Sacramento, State Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced. Caballero introduced Senate Joint Resolution 8, which passed unanimously in both chambers of the California Legislature in 2022. The resolution urges the president and Congress to allow DACs to continue to receive their SSDI benefit, regardless of their marriage status. “Loss of DAC benefits is simply not an option for most disabled adults, as they depend on their insurance coverage to survive,” the resolution reads. Caballero presented a framed copy of the resolution to Long and Top: Long, shown in the couple’s living room at their home in Salinas, walks with help of canes. Above left: On Christmas Day in 2022, Long and Contreras exchange gifts. He gives her a cartoon book about Die Hard; the couple has a running debate about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Above right: Long meets virtually with DREDF staff attorney Ayesha Lewis and disability activist Kaitlin Kurr-Heidenreich, who helped pass MAWD (Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities), which prevents a disabled person from losing their health benefits in the state of Pennsylvania. Lewis and Long are seeking advice on getting a similar bill passed in California.
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