On Wednesday, November 30, 2016 the National Council on Independent Living’s Diversity Committee will release a project titled “We Can’t Breathe: The Deaf & Disabled Margin of Police Brutality Project.” This project includes a video and toolkit that can be utilized for educational training for disability organizations and agencies. The We Can’t Breathe Video discusses the narratives of 5 people with disabilities on the margins that have been victimized by police brutality and other forms of systemic violence. The We Can’t Breathe Toolkit was designed to equip disability organizations, agencies, and community members with the tools to process the video and build policies, programming, and advocacy that center intersectional organizing. The We Can’t Breathe Project addresses how state violence affects people with disabilities who are also women, people of color, and LGBTQ+. This training intentionally utilizes an intersectionality framework to combat the racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia that pervade disability organizations and agencies.

In conjunction with the release of the We Can’t Breathe Project, there will also be a Facebook and Twitter chat on November 30^th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET. Anyone can participate in these conversations through the Facebook event page and the twitter hashtag #DisabilitySolidarity. For more information contact Keri Gray ([email protected]) or Dustin Gibson ([email protected]).

NCIL Executive Director Kelly Buckland spoke as part of a group of national leaders on Thursday, November 10, 2106 at the National Press Club. The group released the following statement:

“The values of the civil and human rights movement are enduring and our commitment to justice, equality, fairness and opportunity do not change based on election results or control of the White House or Congress.

While we accept the results of this election, the bigoted rhetoric and divisive policies that the president-elect ran on are deeply troubling and have left many of us afraid that we won’t have a place in Donald Trump’s America.

The nation we know honors equal protection for all of its people, views its diversity as its strength, and strives to be a place where all people can live, work, and study as free and equal Americans.

We view this election as a nadir for these ideals and want nothing more than to move past the demagoguery and fear mongering of this campaign.

We are here today to declare that we will work with Congress and with the Trump Administration to find common ground in hopes of building an America that’s as good as its ideals.

But we will not be victims of a Trump Administration or a Congress that seeks to turn back the clock on our progress. We will continue to protect our most vulnerable and to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.”

The Disability Community Must Be Represented

During the October ADA Civil Rights Subcommittee meeting, a discussion was had noting that many committees and workgroups are being formed within the current Administration or will be formed during the new Administration without representation from the disability community.  [Read more…]

By Steve Higgins, NCIL ADA / Civil Rights Subcommittee Co-Chair

This past week’s election will have an enormous effect on policy and, quite frankly, our civil rights for many years to come. With that being said, we also must be cognizant that there is still time for a short session to occur in Washington prior to our new President taking office, where legislators could act on pieces of legislation introduced during the 114th Congress.

For example, in September we saw the introduction of S. 3446, another ADA Notification bill, by Senator Flake from Arizona. The wording of this bill is the same as used in HR. 3765, Congressman Poe’s bill from Texas that we opposed with the “Don’t Roll Back Our Rights” campaign during NCIL’s 2016 Annual Conference on Independent Living.

This poses a danger because we now have companion ADA Notification bills in both the House and Senate, which could be acted upon during a “lame duck session.” It is these companion bills that can quickly gather momentum or be attached to something else being moved through Congress during the last few weeks of a session, which can be quite dangerous.  [Read more…]

As we ride the post-election shockwaves this week, many will also be navigating the impacts of trauma* in their daily lives. In response to increased trauma from this presidential campaign on sexual assault survivors with disabilities, the NCIL Violence & Abuse Subcommittee has compiled self-care recommendations and a list of national crisis support lines.

Our country has spent months and months being barraged with media loops of ablest, racist, misogynist language and actions. Our media-saturated work and personal habits amp up the volume of these messages and can overwhelm survivors’ regular coping mechanisms. Please make the time to take care of yourself and others this week.

Self-Care Recommendations:

• take the time to relax, eat, sleep and exercise
• separate yourself from the TV, internet and other news sources
• unplug or put your phone on airplane mode for an hour each day
• take a social media break
• talk to friends and family
• talk to a therapist if anxiety, anger or fear persist longer than usual
• celebrate your survival skills and your personal wins
• share your experiences and your coping strategies with others with whom you can connect

Get support if you or someone you care for needs help:

• RAINN Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) and 800-787-3224 (TTY)
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
• Threats of violence or current crisis: Call 911

*Trauma: It is important for CILs to understand the impact of trauma – be it from specific lived experience with perpetrators – or as a response to the violence inherent in the systemic oppression we fight in our disability rights movement. Trauma often results in specific signs of distress and can affect many parts of a person’s life over a period of time

We are pleased to share with you Dr. Stein’s response to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), and the REV UP Campaign’s 2016 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire. We greatly appreciate Dr. Stein submitting her response.

The questionnaire was sent to all of the current presidential candidates on 20+ state ballots. To date, Dr. Stein is the third candidate to respond to the questionnaire, following Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump.

• Read Dr. Stein’s Responses to the Questionnaire
• Read Secretary Clinton’s Responses to the Questionnaire
• Read Mr. Trump’s Responses to the Questionnaire

The disability vote matters. Your vote matters. As a community, we account for more than 35 million voters this year, approximately one sixth of the total electorate. Let’s show that we are a force to be reckoned with!

With only 1 day until Election Day we need your help getting out the word about these questionnaire responses to educate the disability community, and the rest of the country, on how Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would address issues that are important to people with disabilities.

People with disabilities and their families account for 62.4 million voters this election, approximately one fourth of the electorate. Please take a few minutes to reach out to your friends, family, and colleagues to share the REV UP Presidential Questionnaire responses from Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein, and Donald Trump.

Are you ready to REV UP the Disability Vote?

The REV UP Campaign aims to increase the political power of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!

Visit AAPD’s website to get registered to vote, find disability voting events in your area, and learn more about your rights as a voter with a disability.

Visit NCIL’s website for NCIL’s GOTV Manual and much more!

“Vote as if your life depends on it—because it does!”

– Justin Dart, Jr., father of the ADA, Texan, Patriot

You’ve followed election coverage, you’ve advocated for accessible voting, and now, Election Day is just around the corner! Whether you’ve voted absentee, plan on participating in early voting, or are ready to get out the vote on November 8, it’s time to get excited about exercising your right to vote!

Voting is an important civic duty, but don’t forget that it can be a fun and patriotic way to celebrate our love of our country and community and our freedom to elect our leaders. Here are some fun ways for you and your organizations to take pride in exercising your right to vote.

Send out some positive messaging: At this point in the election cycle, a lot of people are overwhelmed by the constant media coverage and are ready for Election Day to come and go. Keep in mind that voting can be a fun and easy way to participate in our democracy, and send out some positive, upbeat messaging about participating in voting to your friends, family, and consumers. Remind people that their right to vote counts. Positive messaging will encourage them to be excited about exercising their right to vote, too!

The website #GoVote offers a bunch of voting-related artwork from artists for you to freely use. Take a look at the site to find some fun images to share with your family, friends, and consumers to encourage them to vote.

Here are a few examples of messages that you can send out via your emails and social media, courtesy of the League of Women Voters:

• “I am going to vote and I know that my vote will count.”
• “Voting is your opportunity to support your community and have a say in America’s future.”
• “There are plenty of races besides the presidential race-make sure you know who’s on your ballot for local and state races!”
• “When you vote, you’re taking a stand on the issues that matter most to you.”
• “Every vote counts and our votes make a difference.”
• “Together, through our votes, we take control and determine the outcome of this election.”
• “Millions of voters will head to the polls to stand up for what matters most in their communities and lives. I hope you’re one of them.”

Join the Conversation: this election, the disability community has generated a lot of buzz around the issues that are important to our community. On social media, campaigns like #RevUp, coordinated by the AAPD, and #CriptheVote, a non-partisan, grassroots social media campaign about the disability vote, encourage voters with disabilities to talk about their voting experiences and the political issues that are important to them. Join in the conversation! Follow and Tweet through the #CripTheVote and #RevUP hashtags, and follow @AAPD and @DisVisibility for more information about these campaigns. You can also follow AAPD and #CripTheVote on Facebook.

#CriptheVote will be holding a live-tweet of election results on election night starting at 8 PM EST/5 PM EST, November 8. Follow along by searching #CriptheVote on Twitter!

Take a Picture with your “I Voted” Sticker: Once you’ve cast your ballot, it can be really fun to show off that you’ve done your civic duty and cast your vote! Take a selfie or a picture with your “I Voted” sticker, share it with friends and family, and encourage them to take a post-voting picture as well! If you want to take it up a notch, consider wearing something red, white, and blue, or something that represents your connection to the independent living movement and the disability community. Just make sure not to take a picture of your ballot, as that is illegal in some states.

And remember the immortal words of Justin Dart, Jr., Father of the Americans with Disabilities Act: “Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does!”

Tune in today, October 31, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern to Al Jazeera’s live stream of their program “Able to Vote: Part 1,” which will feature NCIL Voting Rights Subcommittee Co-Chair Jim Dickson. In addition, the program will feature a distinguished and diverse panel of disability rights advocates, including Lawrence Carter-Long of the National Council on Disability, Vilissa Thompson of the blog Ramp Your Voice, Thomas Coleman of the Spectrum Institute, and Alice Wong and Andrew Pulrang of #CriptheVote.

At 2:30 p.m. Eastern, Al Jazeera will be hosting a Twitter chat along with #CripTheVote on the disability vote. Join in by following @AJStream on Twitter and using the hashtags #CripTheVote and #StreamElex. Make your voice heard on the disability policy priorities and concerns that are important to you in this election, and get ready to get out the disability vote!