Earlier this week, the Senate voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. NCIL and over 50 other national, state, and local disability rights organizations sent a letter (PDF) urging the Senate to oppose her nomination. NCIL opposed her nomination due to her history of decisions that have harmed the disability community, and in particular her vocal opposition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Despite her confirmation, NCIL will continue to fight to save the ACA. You may remember that NCIL, along with several other disability organizations, filed an amicus brief (PDF) in the court case that will soon be heard by the Supreme Court, and we will continue to advocate. The disability community played a huge role in saving the ACA in 2017, and we must do the same again. We will continue to fight, and we need your help. 

Share Your Story

We need your stories of how the ACA has helped you, and how overturning the ACA would be harmful. Please share your stories with by using this online form or emailing comments@ncil.org. We are extending the deadline for this request to Sunday, November 15, 2020. See below for information about some of the ways the ACA has helped people.

Earlier this week, we sent an alert about Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination with several ways to take action.

On Monday, October 12, NCIL is joining other disability organizations to coordinate a national call-in date to oppose the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. As we said in our previous alert, Judge Barrett’s opinions on a number of issues are damaging to disability rights, and her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court would threaten the rights and lives of Americans with disabilities. Her hostility toward the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a particular threat, since the ACA has been vital to millions of people across the country, including the disability community. If Judge Barrett is confirmed, losing the ACA is far more likely.

Join the Call-In Day!

• Join and share the event page on Facebook
• You can reach both of your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and asking to be connected to your Senator.
• You can find your Senators’ contact forms at senate.gov.
• You can find your Senators’ Twitter handles, Facebook pages, and more on Contacting Congress.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett has been nominated to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s vacant seat on the United States Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that the Senate will hastily move forward with her confirmation hearings in mid-October, with a vote planned shortly after. Judge Barrett’s opinions on a number of issues are damaging to disability rights, and her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court would threaten the rights and lives of Americans with disabilities. NCIL strongly opposes her nomination.

We, along with over 50 other national, state, and local disability rights organizations have sent a letter (PDF) urging the Senate to oppose her nomination. We are continuing to work with these organizations and others to oppose her nomination, and now we need your help.

Take Action!

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on November 10. The ACA has been vital to millions of people across the country, including the disability community. Judge Barrett’s vocal opposition to the law is highly concerning, and her appointment to the Supreme Court makes the loss of the ACA far more likely.

1. Share your story: We need your stories of how the ACA has helped you, and how overturning the ACA would be harmful. Please share with us how the Affordable Care Act has helped you, or how losing the ACA would be harmful. You can share your stories with us using our online form or at comments@ncil.org. Because this is moving so quickly, we are requesting this information by Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Thank you for your help!

2. Contact your Senator: You can call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Senators. You can find your Senators’ contact forms at senate.gov. You can find your Senators’ Twitter handles, Facebook pages, and more on Contacting Congress.

Sample script: Hi, my name is (NAME), and I’m from (CITY, STATE). I am (calling / writing) to urge the Senate to reject the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the President’s Supreme Court Nominee. Judge Barrett has a history of decisions that are concerning to me as a disabled person. Moreover, Congress should not act on any nomination until Congress has passed, and the President has signed, a COVID-19 relief bill. There is far too much at stake to rush this important decision. Please reject Judge Barret’s nomination. (Your name)

We need your help. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit our community hard, and especially people in congregate settings. These settings include places like psychiatric hospitals, intermediate care facilities, nursing facilities, developmental centers, group homes, and others. Many of our people are still trapped in these settings even as the pandemic has highlighted their dangers.

As we fight to keep everyone safe, we are also preparing for increased infections in the coming months. We are considering filing a complaint about how the rights of many disabled people in congregate settings are being violated right now. We need to know what has – and has not – been working in these settings around the country.

If you live in a congregate setting, or if someone close to you (like a family member or friend) does, we want to hear from you.

You can share this information with us using any of the methods below:

• Use the online form
• Email comments@ncil.org
• Call 202-864-4249 and leave a voicemail on our dedicated comment line

Please provide at least one way to contact you so we can follow up if we need more information. Some of the information we receive will be used if we move forward with the complaint. We will not share your name or contact information without your permission.

We request that you please share this information with us by Friday, October 16. Thank you.

Survey Question Examples: We are especially interested in answers to the following questions. You can answer any or all of these questions. These are just examples of the type of information we are looking for. If you have information to share with us that is not included in these questions, please do.