Take Action
Systems Advocacy takes many forms: letters, emails and phone calls to local, state, and national legislators; registering to vote and voting; attending government sessions and public hearings; joining coalitions and groups who care about your issues and concerns; attending demonstrations; and being "civically" engaged. Below are tools for your advocacy toolbox.
See Advocacy Tips Below:
Maria Dibble
Over the years our Executive Director, Maria Dibble, developed an advocacy toolkit. There are as many different styles of advocacy as there are people, and there are innumerable tactics and strategies that groups can develop to successfully promote and achieve their issues and goals. Below is a list of some tips and strategies that can help people along the road to empowerment through advocacy.
Pat Green Gumson
Pat Green Gumson was the Director of the NYS DOH TBI Medicaid Waiver Program a few years ago. Before taking her job in Albany, Pat worked at STIC. Her skills at collaboration and advocacy were absolutely instrumental in the development of TBI waiver services. After retiring, she was the keynote speaker at a TBI Conference here at STIC. Below are her advocacy tips.
A Smorgasboard
(Take What You Like and Leave What You Don’t)
23 Advocacy Guidelines: A Tactful, No-Nonsense Approach
Alerts
Alert 1
Transformation to Competitive Employment Act
Educate Senator Schumer and Congressman Brindisi on how these bills would affect you. Use our "Who Represents You in Congress" tool on our homepage for contact information.
Alert 2
Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program Act
In late January, 2019, H.R. 259, the Medicaid Extenders Act, was signed into law. The bill includes three months of funding for the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Program. As we know, three months is not enough to sustain the work of MFP, but it does provide a much needed extension while we continue our advocacy for a longer renewal.
The Empower Care Act (S548 / HR1342) was introduced to reauthorize the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program.
Educate Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Congressman Brindisi on how these bills affect you. Use our "Who Represents You in Congress" tool on our homepage for contact information.
Alert 3
The Disability Integration Act (DIA)
The Disability Integration Act (DIA) is a civil rights, bipartisan and bicameral legislation, introduced by Senators Charles Schumer, Minority Leader (D-NY) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) in the Senate and Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) in the House, to address the fundamental issue that people who need Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) are forced into institutions and losing their basic civil rights. The legislation (S.117, H.R.555) builds on the 25 years of work that ADAPT and other disability rights advocates have done to end the institutional bias and provide seniors and people with disabilities home and community-based services (HCBS) as an alternative to institutionalization. It is the next step in our national advocacy after securing the Community First Choice (CFC) option.
Look Up Your Legislator
Finding Your Polling Location
Voter ID Information Required?
Who Represents You in Congress?
Who Represents You in Albany?
Who Represents You in Broome County?
USA.gov
Rev-Up is a site provided by AAPD that helps people register and learn about upcoming elections
Common Cause lets you type in your address and then takes you to pages with names and contact information for all your elected officials.
Click below to look up your legislator