As happens every two (or four) years, there were state and federal elections in November. Now, under the terms of our Constitution and our government, there is a new Congress and a new Administration coming in along with our new year. The new U.S. Congress (House and Senate) is sworn in on January 3 (that’s today!), and President Trump will be sworn in on Inauguration Day, always January 20. Your state legislators and Governor, if you have a new one, will also be sworn in.
What does this mean? It means we are in a transition period and we have work to do. First, remember that we work with everyone! There are no limitations based on Democrats or Republicans, rural or urban, coastal or Midwest, or any other division you can think of. Do not ever assume a policymaker, particularly a new one you haven’t met or worked with yet, will not be in favor of the work you are doing to support individuals with intellectual disability to achieve their dreams of college, employment, and community living.
If you are a student, be willing to tell your story to all of the policymakers from your state or district, whether you voted for them or not, because they represent you. YOU are a constituent, a person from their area, and they want to meet and represent you to the best of their ability. And you may also be the only person with a disability they’ve talked to. Don’t be shy!
Those newly elected officials will be getting questions and will need people to turn to if they are not experts about disability – and most are not. Don’t worry that you might not know the answer to a question they bring you in the future, because I bet you can find someone who does! Even if those policymakers and representatives are not brand new, it’s still a great time to connect with them and share what you know about the issues that are important to you, like employment opportunities, college, community living, and more.
Right now is a great time to reach out to your state and local representatives and policymakers and introduce yourself. To find out who your state and federal representatives are, go to https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials and type in your address. It will tell you all you need to know. If they are new to the (state or federal) legislature, offer your help or advice on how to learn about the disability community and specifically, their constituents with disabilities. And, if you are unclear about the difference between your state and federal policymakers, this document from Think College explains it.
Your elected officials will remember who helped them during this period when they were new. They want to learn what is important to you and to the rest of the people in their community. As you get to know them, learn what issues they are interested in, find out if they have family members with disabilities, or if you or someone you know knows someone on their staff. Here is a document to help keep track of what you learn.
Don’t ask for anything from them now, just get to know them and have them get to know you and see you as a resource. There will be plenty of time later on to ask them to help us with issues we care about.
Remember, we work with everyone!
About the post author: Denise Rozell is Director of Policy Innovation at Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD). Denise works primarily on issues affecting youth in post-secondary education, employment and independent living including as the co-Director for the PROMISE Technical Assistance Center (Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income). She is a self-described policy geek, and a valuable contributor to the work of Think College.