ORLANDO — Of all the attacks that Hillary Clinton and her fellow Democrats have tried against Donald Trump since he captured the Republican presidential nomination, one has stood out for its emotional force and persuasive power: No one, it seems, can abide Trump’s mockery last year of a reporter’s physical disability.
And as Clinton strains to make a more forceful case for her own candidacy, after a summer focused largely on hammering Trump, her campaign believes that a focus on an often-overlooked constituency — voters with disabilities — can accomplish both goals at once.
On Wednesday, without mentioning the Trump episode, Clinton discussed her vision for an “inclusive economy’’ with expanded job opportunities for what she called “a group of Americans who are, too often, invisible, overlooked and undervalued — who have so much to offer, but are given far too few chances to prove it.’’
“That’s been true for a long time,’’ she added, “and we have to change it.’’
She also cited a recent Boston Globe profile of a woman with Down syndrome who retired after working 32 years at the McDonald’s in Needham.
In keeping with a recent campaign theme, she described how her career had informed her policy goals, from her work for people with disabilities during her time at the Children’s Defense Fund to her tenure as secretary of state, when she appointed the first special adviser for international disability rights.
“Whether they can participate in our economy and lead rich, full lives that are as healthy and productive as possible is a reflection on us as a country,’’ she said in Orlando.
Though Clinton made no mention of the moment last year when Trump mocked a New York Times reporter, Serge F. Kovaleski, who has a congenital joint condition that visibly limits the flexibility in his arms, she may not have had to: The incident has earned Trump some of his most blistering ratings in focus groups, and a pro-Clinton super PAC made it the centerpiece of an ad in June. (Trump has denied that he was mocking the reporter’s appearance, saying he did not even recall meeting him.)
Clinton’s campaign plainly views the contrast as critical to its strategy for the remainder of the race, including the highly anticipated first debate with Trump Monday. Clinton has said often that she can handle the personal insults from him — but that what gets her piqued are attacks on groups that Trump has appeared to bully.
And she is in good company. “The disability community is very upset by that, but if you look at the poll numbers, so is the rest of society,’’ said Christine Griffin, a lawyer and disability policy advocate in Boston.
People with disabilities make up a potentially potent political coalition: A study this month from two Rutgers University professors projected that more than 35 million people with disabilities would be eligible to vote this year — roughly one-sixth of the electorate.
The event Wednesday also brought Clinton to a major swing state. Her team has focused particular attention on the Orlando area’s sizable Puerto Rican population, especially as families relocate from the island amid a devastating debt crisis. Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Hillary Clinton’s running mate, have attended a combined 15 events in Florida since the beginning of August.
