Get Involved: United Spinal Association's Virtual Roll on Capitol Hill
Part of my goal for this blog is to become a resource of information for news and events happening within the disability community. I want to help spread the word but also include my perspectives. An opportunity to do so came across my desk when I read through my recent New Mobility Magazine issue. They had an article promoting United Spinal Association's upcoming 2021 Roll on Capitol Hill, a virtual Legislative and Advocacy Conference, June 14-16. Typically done in person, this year's event will be held virtually because of COVID-19.
If you are unfamiliar, as was I, the Roll on Capitol Hill event is an opportunity for advocates in the disability community to meet with members of Congress to advocate about issues that impact our community. This year's issues will center around home and community-based services, transportation, caregiving, and disability assistance related to toxic exposure for our veterans.
From the website: Roll on Capitol Hill is United Spinal's annual signature policy event that supports crucial advocacy priorities for its membership and the broader disability community to ensure that legislators include wheelchair users and all people with disabilities in policy debates on Capitol Hill. The event strengthens the voice of our community and ensures all people with disabilities have a seat at the table to discuss policies that impact their quality of life and independence.
Part of what I love about the disability community is how diverse it is. The spectrum of people who live with a disability is vast, regardless if someone identifies themselves as disabled or not. You have elderly folks, disabled veterans, working disabled people, disabled people who need different amounts of caregiving, children with learning disabilities, and some people who are just temporarily disabled while they are recovering from an injury or illness.
A critical outcome of the pandemic has been how it has exposed our social safety net gaps. Forced to remain isolated and away from others to reduce their risk of contracting COVID, disabled people's needs and activities were significantly disrupted. For many people with disabilities, access to safe and reliable caregiving services means staying independent, healthy, and out of institutional living settings-- something that is a guaranteed right under our Constitution.
Technology has been a bridge-builder, connecting people at home to others. Whether it be for work, school, church, medical appointments, or other social engagement, moving everything online meant making sure homes and communities have reliable broadband connections, as well as the adaptive computer equipment they need. Pre-pandemic, you may have never thought about why Grandma might need an iPad with speech-to-text technology. But now you realize how it has been the lifeline you rely on to check in on her every day. You never realize how much you need something until it becomes the only thing you need.
As much as I get frustrated by the slow pace of progress in the disability rights movement, every time I learn about advocacy efforts like those of the United Spinal Association, I remain hopeful that long-overdue changes are right around the corner. Because here's the thing: the change never just happens; it has to be fought for. Those "fights" happen in critical conversations with policy leaders. They also occur when citizens like you and me educate ourselves on who our elected leaders are and what they believe in. And also, whether they will deliver results on their promises. When it comes time to vote, we have the power to hold them accountable.
“Our community has understood and relied on the importance of living in a virtual world for decades and the pandemic has crystallized the value of this for a wider audience. Due to the great advocacy work of so many of you out there, our policymakers have focused on bills and regulations to expand access to broadband (see our latest Advocacy Series session from March 29 about broadband: Living in a Virtual World: What that Means to the Disability Community).”
We can also act in between every election. United Spinal's website clearly describes all of the advocacy issues and congressional legislation they are currently supporting. I encourage you to check it out. They have an online tool to make your voice heard through writing a letter of support or placing a phone call. I know it may seem like a small gesture, one individual making a single phone call or writing a single letter. That is how democracy works, though. One individual at a time, working collectively for a common cause. We the people, remember?
You can read more about the Virtual Roll on Capitol Hill here. You can also learn more about the specific bills in Congress they are supporting in congress, as well as other policy initiatives on their Action Center webpage.