Honor the ADA by Bringing Advocacy Home This August

On July 26, the disability community will mark the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the progress made toward inclusion and community living, but also to recognize that the promise of the ADA is a promise unfulfilled unless people with disabilities have adequate access to the providers and supports they need. That makes the weeks following the anniversary an especially important time for ANCOR members and advocates to engage with members of Congress. 

Each August, members of Congress return to their states and districts to meet with constituents, attend community events and visit local organizations. For ANCOR members, August recess offers one of the best opportunities of the year to show lawmakers how decisions about Medicaid, community-based services and the direct support workforce affect people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in their communities.

Why Local Relationships Matter

When we meet with congressional offices on Capitol Hill, one of the most valuable things we can hear is that the staff already know a community provider in the district or that their boss has recently toured a local provider’s program. 

That connection immediately makes the conversation more concrete. Medicaid funding, workforce shortages and access to community-based services are no longer abstract policy issues; they are tied to an organization the office knows, constituents they have met and services they have seen firsthand. 

Every local meeting and site visit strengthens ANCOR’s advocacy in Washington. It gives us a real relationship and experience to build on when we speak with lawmakers about how federal policy impacts providers and people with I/DD in their communities. 

The most effective conversations with your members of Congress are focused and local. It’s best to identify one or two priorities, explain how they affect your organization and community, and make a clear request. And remember to follow up after each interaction with a lawmaker and their staff with a thank-you message and any requested information.

Ways to Engage

With discussions of a new reconciliation bill underway in Congress, now is the time to educate policymakers on the importance of community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It’s paramount this August to focus our advocacy efforts on urging lawmakers to support people with disabilities and the community providers they rely on by rejecting further cuts or harmful changes to Medicaid. 

ANCOR members can participate in August recess advocacy by using our advocacy toolkit to: 

• Request a meeting with your senators or representative.  

• Invite your members of Congress and their team to tour a program or meet with people supported, direct support professionals and families. 

• Write a Letter to the Editor that illustrates why we need Congress to protect Medicaid and how federal policy affects access to community-based services. 

• Attend town halls, listening sessions and other public events your members of Congress are hosting. 

• ANCOR is here to help! We assist you in preparing for meetings, site visits and community events by providing talking points, background materials and guidance. Once you’ve engaged with your members of Congress, please also let the ANCOR Government Relations team know about meetings, site visits or conversations so we can support follow-up and reinforce those relationships in Washington. 

August recess is not a break from federal advocacy. It is an opportunity to show lawmakers the true realities of community-based services and to strengthen ANCOR’s congressional relationships throughout the year.

Noah Block is the Federal Relations Manager at ANCOR.