For nearly 75 years, The Arc has been on the frontlines of the disability advocacy movement, fighting for the issues that matter most to people with disabilities and their families. The Arc is a grassroots organization with nearly 600 state and local chapters, all pushing for the full inclusion of people with disabilities on the federal, state, and local levels.

Every day, people with disabilities and allies across the country—just like you—are advocating to build a more inclusive world. And with everything that is on the line right now, we need every person who cares about disability rights and equality to step up and join our fight for inclusion for future generations. We need YOU!

So, what are you waiting for? You can join us RIGHT NOW and become a fierce disability activist! Here’s how:

1. Find out who your members of Congress are: The Arc provides an easy way to see who your Senators and Representatives are. Head on over to our Action Center and enter your zip code in the Find Your Elected Official box on the righthand side. Once you know who your members of Congress are, visit their website and review their priority issue areas. Using this knowledge, you can tell them how important it is to include disability issues in legislative discussions.
2. Connect with your state and local chapters of The Arc: Discover who your state and/or local chapters of The Arc are and where they are located. Visit their website to learn how you can get involved.
3. Follow your members of Congress on social media: When Congress is in session, you can follow along with your members’ current legislative actions on places like Twitter—even if you don’t have an account! When they work on an issue that matters to you and/or aligns with The Arc’s Action Alerts, this is the moment when your outreach will make the greatest impact. Get in touch with them directly or through The Arc’s Action Center to share why they should support a position that benefits the disability community.
4. Visit The Arc’s Action Center: The Arc’s Action Center (thearc.org/action) houses all The Arc’s current action alerts. Clicking on the alert you are interested in will lead you to a page with more information where you can send a note to your members of Congress showing your support. You can use our prefilled template or write your own. Once you have filled in your contact information and completed your submission, click the button at the bottom to submit your note.

Now that you are equipped with The Arc’s four key advocacy steps, get out there and start advocating for the disability community! Remember, take pictures of your advocacy when possible and share them on social media. Don’t forget to tag The Arc of the United States in your posts.

We can’t wait to see you out there!

When you are young, recess signals a break from the drudge of work. It is a welcome chance at a bit of freedom to play and escape the school day. But when you are a member of Congress, recess takes on an entirely different meaning – one that is important for disability advocates to know.

For U.S. senators and representatives, recess is a time of the year when legislators leave their duties in Washington, D.C. behind and return home to the districts and states they represent. But members of Congress are not home to relax and recharge for the fall legislative session. They are there to travel around their districts, attending a variety of community events, and hearing from as many constituents as possible.

You can use this time to educate your federal elected officials on how critical policy priorities impact people with disabilities, which may include you and your family. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Savings Penalty Elimination Act and the importance of home and community-based services (HCBS) are just a few of the critical policy priorities.

Your stories can empower these decision-makers to return to Washington with the concerns of the disability community top of mind.

So, what are you waiting for? The following tips can help you make the most of your advocacy during August congressional recess!

• Find out who your members of Congress are. The Arc provides an easy way to look them up. Visit our Action Center and enter your zip code in the Find Your Elected Official box on the right-hand side of the screen. You can also follow your members of Congress on social media by finding their Twitter handles.
• Attend town hall events. Many members of Congress host town hall events during August recess to hear from their constituents. You can find townhalls in your area here or look on your elected official’s website.
• Download The Arc’s August Congressional Recess Toolkit. The free toolkit offers everything you need to advocate effectively, including links to action alerts, plain language factsheets on key issues, tips to engage, and sample letters to the editor that you can personalize and submit to local newspapers.
• Connect with your local chapter of The Arc. Find your state or local chapter to learn more about advocacy opportunities in your area. They may have meetings and other activities you can join.

This August recess presents an excellent opportunity for sharing your perspective on important policy issues and educating members of Congress in your hometown on what living with a disability is like. With just a little preparation, you can prepare your legislators to fight for disability rights in the fall!

When The Arc’s Alumni Council was formed in 2017, it was envisioned as a gathering place for former employees and board members of The Arc’s national office, as well as local and state chapters. Nancy Webster is the founder and current chair of the council. She is also the former Board President of The Arc of The United States. As the Alumni Council founder, Nancy recognized that many former staff and volunteers were eager to remain engaged in The Arc’s network but were unsure how to contribute.

The Alumni Council provides a way to capture the rich experiences and knowledge of former employees and volunteers while keeping them connected to The Arc’s mission of supporting people with disabilities to be full members of their communities. Further, each alum offers unique skills, perspectives, and experiences that benefit the entire network, from chapters in small rural communities to those in bustling metropolitan areas.

In working with the council, Nancy said she had a goal of “reaching out to as many alumni as possible to invite them to engage with The Arc and other alums to support our mission, our chapters, and individuals.” This goal would be achieved by implementing several objectives:

• Advising state and local chapters of The Arc on management considerations, including governance, finance, strategic planning, best practices, sustainability, and more
• Serving as a think tank for risky questions, ideas, and concerns, as well as identifying the important battles and challenges on the horizon.
• Providing guidance to individuals with disabilities and/or their families around crucial issues, such as housing and future planning

In addition to Nancy, The Arc’s Alumni Council is currently supported by Kerry Mauger, Director of Special Projects at The Arc, with input from its 54 members. Current members bring a variety of experiences to the council based on their roles as former staff, volunteer leaders, committee members, and self-advocates.

The council strives to offer a variety of activities, including:

• Quarterly Zoom briefings which include policy updates
• Opportunities for members to mentor executives of state and local chapters of The Arc
• Eliciting member input on The Arc’s Strategic Plan and other documents
• Assisting individuals with disabilities in leadership roles
• Speaking engagements
• And more!

Nancy noted that, in the future, they hope to gather in person for networking opportunities at The Arc’s National Convention and other events, as well as create new activities based on member feedback. To aspiring members of the Alumni Council she says, “Jump in! We are delighted to have you.”

Kerry adds to this sentiment saying, “There are so many great advocates within our chapters, and the Alumni Council offers a way for us to continue to keep them engaged in our efforts to support people with disabilities, both locally and nationally.”

Steve Morgan became a council member after working for nearly 45 years at The Arc Baltimore, 32 of which he served as executive director. Upon retirement, he says he was anxious to “stay connected to The Arc both personally and professionally…since I had been very active with The Arc and the National Conference of Executives.”

If you are a former board member or employee of The Arc at the national, state, or local level and are looking for ways to stay engaged, check out the Alumni Council. Membership is free, and you can participate as little or as much as your schedule allows.

Visit the Alumni Council webpage to learn more and sign up for the council here!

Dominick Evans is a trans queer crip director/writer, consultant, Twitch streamer, and dad. They have a BFA in Film. Dominick’s work delves into inclusion in media, sex education for Disabled/LGBTQIA youth, marriage equality, institutional bias, and reproductive rights. In 2014, he founded #FilmDis, a Twitter chat about Disability in media.

Dominick has spoken around the world. He does video editing and works in Hollywood, consulting studios, to make the industry more inclusive. Dominick spends a lot of time streaming on Twitch – exploring accessibility and access. With their partner, Ashtyn, he releases an annual study into disability on television.

Recently, Dominick shared with us his experiences speaking with their autistic son about transitioning from female to male, celebrating his first Father’s Day, and what they want others to know about being a multiply disabled, trans dad.

[Image Description: Dominick, a masculine appearing person with green eyes and brown spiked short hair gives a small smile. He is wearing gold wire-rim glasses and has some stubble and hair along his cheek line. This headshot shows from his mid-chest area upward. He is wearing a blue, black, and gray Argyle long-sleeve shirt. He sits in his wheelchair, and his black headrest wraps around the back of his head. The background is blurred, but you can tell there is grass behind him and he is outside.]

I started dating my girlfriend when her son was seven. By the time he was eight, his mom and I were in a serious relationship. We had moved in together, and it became clear that he wanted me to be more than just his mom’s partner. I always wanted children, so I was more than happy to commit to being his father. That’s the thing though. I knew that it was going to be a lifelong commitment and that I would have to change myself to be a better person – to be a better father for him. And that’s what I set out to do.

At the time I came out, I didn’t have the language to really talk about being non-binary. My son is autistic and really everything is very black-and-white to him. So, explaining my transition to him was going to have to be something I did very matter-of-factly, and that actually worked very well for our family.

My son was about eight when I came out to him. I just told him that I didn’t feel like a girl, and he said, “So you’re not my mom, you’re my dad?” And I said yes. Then he said awesome and asked me to go play Mario! That was pretty much it! Kids are very accepting of things because they have much more imagination than adults. I feel like as adults we kind of crushed our ideas of what the world could be, and instead, we focus on this very narrow view of how people should be. We are doing a huge disservice to not only our children but ourselves.

What has been your best Father’s Day so far?

On my first Father’s Day, after I came out, my son was very, very excited to buy me a present. When I opened it, it was matchbox cars! My dad, who had passed away a year or two before I got with my girlfriend, was a huge fan of cars and we had bonded over our love of classic cars when I was growing up. To share that with my son and pass that on was just so overwhelmingly beautiful. It was the most perfect, best first Father’s Day present, and I still have my car in the original packaging!

What do you want others to know about being a multiply disabled, trans dad?

The barriers my son and I face are not imposed by us. It’s the world that makes our lives difficult. We have a very happy, great family. When I started out, I had grown up in a very hostile environment. My family was all about yelling and I was mistreated a lot, particularly by my mother. I had to kind of work to really break those cycles of oppression. That was kind of on top of all the ableism we had to deal with, not only because I’m disabled but because my son is disabled.

Being a disabled dad with a disabled son, even if we don’t have the same disabilities, has been really helpful because I understand ableism in ways a lot of nondisabled parents don’t. Our life has been unconventional. Over the years I’ve done a lot of things that were more accessible to me. For example, I used to take him to do the shopping with me because he could help me put all the bags on my wheelchair and carry them home. Whereas my girlfriend would do things like helping with bathing and cooking his meals and physical things I couldn’t do.

We also homeschooled our son and I designed his curriculum. Being disabled and trans didn’t make the job difficult at all. I think at the end of the day it really enriched our life even more, and it also has made me more open to anything my son wants in life. All I want is for him to be happy, and if he is then I’ve succeeded as his dad!

Learn more about Dominick at DominickEvans.com.