Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) became emotional during a committee hearing Thursday — opening up about the “ridicule” he faced after a major health scare last year.
The former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor sustained hearing and other cognitive issues following a May 2022 stroke — just before the Keystone State’s Democratic Senate primary.
“I have lost my ability to fully process language,” Fetterman, 54, said in front of the panel at the Senate Special Committee on Aging, describing the “profound” benefit technology had on his life.
“Because I live in a political environment, I was ridiculed and made fun of because I wasn’t able to process things sometimes or say anything,” he added.
Fighting back tears, Fetterman — whose laid-back dress code recently raised eyebrows — pulled up an app on a tablet that allows him to “fully participate in this meeting” as well as communicate with people in his personal life.
The tablet has closed captioning capabilities that allow him to read whatever people say to him.
“I’m so sorry, I’m sure many of you had to go through this kind of thing,” he went on, adding: “I admire everyone who has to live with these kind of struggles and prevail over them.”
Fetterman concluded by asking how senators can “become more empathetic, more responsive and more effective” in providing support for people with disabilities.
“I think it just takes political will and the will to become accessible,” responded one witness, accessibility engineer Chris Westbrook. “It takes making it a priority. And just, you know, deciding it is going to be a priority.”
After Fetterman defeated GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in the November 2022 general election, new technology was needed in the Capitol to help Fetterman communicate with staff and colleagues on a day-to-day basis.
In addition to the tablet he carries with him, Fetterman also has a closed captioning monitor installed at his desk in the Senate chamber so he can follow proceedings
A custom desk at the center dais has also been equipped with the same technology for Fetterman’s use when he presides over Senate proceedings.