Thank You For a Highly Engaging Policy Summit!

It’s often been said how many words a picture is worth, but the graphic below particularly inspires three words: “WOW!” and “THANK YOU!” ANCOR members brought an incredible amount of enthusiasm to our 2018 Policy Summit and Hill Day, and while we’re always honored to host you in here in Washington, DC, this year’s event felt especially inspiring.

We enthusiastically say WOW! because Summit participants demonstrated savvy and heart when:

• You asked congressional staffers tough but important questions on Medicaid, EVV, health care and other key topics during our off-the-record congressional session.
• You shared everything you are working on in your states during our Conversation Café session. We heard about a range of issues including workforce, employment for individuals with I/DD, and new state legislative initiatives.
• You cheered so warmly during our ceremony for the recipients of our Suellen Galbraith Award for Excellence in Public Policy Awards: Ravi Dahiya of YAI in New York; Chris Sparks of Exceptional Persons, Inc., in Iowa; Gary Blumenthal of PAR in Pennsylvania; and Lizette Stiehr of AADD in Alaska!
• You shared photos of yourselves in action in Congress on social media. By the way, if you haven’t told us how your meetings went yet, it’s not too late! Please do so here.

We enthusiastically say THANK YOU! because, in addition to all of the above, we have so much gratitude for:

• All your kind words and rave reviews you gave us on our 11 sessions. The sessions spanned topics such as developing business acumen, exploring technology to strengthen the workforce, legislation to improve Medicaid data and updates from Administration staff.
• Those who volunteered as State Navigators. Navigators made this year’s Hill Day beautifully seamless by helping schedule congressional meetings for other attendees from their states. We appreciate your hard work in making this a good experience for your fellow providers.
• Those who attended the ANCOR Disability Champions Political Action Committee (ANCOR DC PAC) event in honor of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) – you made it a smashing success! For those who do not want to miss out on future opportunities, please fill out this permission slip to receive PAC emails.
• Your overwhelming response to our new DSP videos from the Included. Supported. Empowered. campaign. We’re also grateful to all of you who deepened your engagement with the campaign by signing up to receive monthly updates.
• Your efforts to share your Summit photos with us through social media.

Now that you’re home, you might be wondering how to build on the momentum we established together during the Summit. It will come as no surprise that this Government Relations staffer has some suggestions! We encourage you to:

• Schedule in-district follow-up meetings. Your U.S. Senators and Representatives are all home until after the midterm elections, so now is the perfect time! Email me at [email protected] if you want help.
• Join our Grassroots Work Group to learn more about future advocacy opportunities – email me and Grassroots Work Group Chair Gary Blumenthal ([email protected]) to learn more.
• Nominate your DSPs for our 2019 DSP of the Year Award – the deadline is November 30, 2018! Our Government Relations staff frequently use stories from nominations we receive to explain to Congress why it needs to act on topics such as creating a Standard Occupational Classification for DSPs. That makes submitting a nomination a great 2-for-1 to recognize your DSPs’ great work and advance policies that strengthen the DSP workforce.

ANCOR engages in a ton of advocacy efforts throughout the year, and none of it would be possible without your commitment to the work you do and the people you support. THANK YOU!

Doris Parfaite-Claude is ANCOR’s Federal Advocacy and Research Manager. She can be reached at [email protected].