Making Voting Accessible Means Millions More Votes

Lilian Aluri, REV UP Voting Campaign Coordinator

This blog was originally posted by US Vote Foundation on their blog and reposted with permission as part of a series of blogs. The US Vote Foundation recently published their Resources for Voters with Disabilities initiative in honor of Disability Voting Rights Week.

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38 Million. That’s the number of eligible voters with disabilities in the U.S. This week, September 12-16, is Disability Voting Rights Week. Learn why the disability vote matters and how you work to build the power of the disability vote with us.

Disabled voters make up one of the largest voting blocs in the country. Many politicians and lawmakers prefer to think of us as passive members of society, content to be left out of the political process. But this could not be farther from the truth.

Disabled people are activists and organizers, candidates and voters, caregivers and recipients of care, community leaders and volunteers, patients and doctors, employees and CEOs. We have many reasons to care about elections and how they impact our lives. The people and policies we vote on impact our access to transportation, employment, healthcare, community, privacy, and so much more.

Even though voters with disabilities have many reasons to vote in elections, there is still a 6% turnout gap between voters with and without disabilities. This means that fewer people with disabilities are voting than non-disabled people. Our community has less of a say in the very policies that impact our lives. This doesn’t mean that disabled voters are less politically engaged than voters without disabilities. Access barriers create this turnout gap.

Some barriers that keep disabled voters from participating in elections include inaccessibility at every part of the voting process, discrimination from others, exclusion from the political process by candidates and campaigns, and social isolation from digital and physical access barriers to the community.

Disability Voting Rights Week, September 12-16, 2022, aapd.com/dvrw - on the right of the text is a blue and white and red ballot box with a blue fist on one side.

In 2016, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) launched the REV UP Voting Campaign and Disability Voting Rights Week to address this gap in voting outreach and advocacy. REV UP builds the power of the disability vote through grassroots coalition building, voting outreach to disabled voters, and advocating for more accessible voting.

Closing the 6% voter turnout gap between people with and without disabilities would mean close to 2 million more votes from people with disabilities. Learn how you can join REV UP in making sure disabled voters are registered and ready to vote and have access to the ballot in 2022 and beyond!

Find REV UP at aapd.com/revup and on social media at @RevUPCampaign.

Action Alert! Tell Your Senators We Need Emergency HCBS Funding in the Next COVID-19 Relief Bill!

February 17, 2021

Tell Your Senators We Need Emergency HCBS Funding in the Next COVID-19 Relief Bill! 

Many disabled people rely on home and community-based services (HCBS) to live in the community. Now, at a time when COVID-19 is rapidly spreading, these services are more critical than ever as they keep people with disabilities out of institutions, where the virus is spreading at devastating rates. The disability community needs emergency funding for Medicaid home and community-based services. That funding has not been included in any of the COVID relief legislation passed since the beginning of the pandemic, but we must change that. 

Congress is putting together the next COVID-19 relief package now, and the House of Representatives has already included emergency HCBS funding in their version of the COVID relief package. Now we need the Senate to do the same. We’re asking you to participate in our week of action, and ask your Senators to make sure the final COVID-19 relief bill includes the funding our community needs. Here’s how you can participate:

Take Action

Call your Senators! 

You can call your senator and use this script: 

Hello! My name is [your full name], and I am from [city]. I’m calling to ask Senator [Name] to make sure the Senate’s COVID relief package includes emergency funding for Medicaid home and community-based services.

Home and community-based services funded by Medicaid allow people with disabilities like [me/ my family member/ my friends/ my neighbor/ etc.] to continue living safely at home. These services keep people with disabilities out of institutions, where COVID-19 is currently killing thousands. Because of the pandemic, community-based service providers are struggling to stay open, and without emergency funds, some will be forced to close. 

The House has already included emergency funding for Medicaid home- and community-based services in their COVID relief bill. We just need the Senate to include it too. This funding is a life and death issue for disabled [residents of your state]. Can I count on Senator [Name] to stand up for people with disabilities by making sure that funding is in the Senate bill?

Need help making calls? Check out our proxy calling system: https://proxycaller.org/ 

Want to help make calls for other people? Send an email to info@proxycaller.org with your name and preferred email.

Email your Senators! 

Contacting Congress provides unique links to email your Senators directly. You can use the same script you did while calling.

Engage your Senators on Social Media! 

Tweet your Senators – find their Twitter handles here.

Sample Social Media Posts:

Take action TODAY to protect the disability community during COVID-19: https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-hcbs-funding/  #MedicaidCantWait

The Senate emergency COVID-19 relief funding includes NO funding for community-based services — services that many people with disabilities rely on to stay out of institutions, where COVID-19 is spreading. Take action TODAY. https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-hcbs-funding/ #MedicaidCantWait #HCBS

The Senate is refusing to include #HCBS funding in the new COVID-19 relief package. Don’t let them get away with it — call/email TODAY to let your elected officials know we’re watching! #MedicaidCantWait https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-hcbs-funding/

Without #HCBS funding, people with disabilities risk being forced into institutions, where COVID-19 is running rampant. Call and tell your Senator that #MedicaidCantWait using this script: https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-hcbs-funding/

Join the Facebook event for scripts, tips, and check ins throughout the week.

Our community has been left out of the picture when it comes to COVID relief over and over again. Enough is enough. When HCBS is at risk, our lives are on the line: #MedicaidCantWait!

*Script language from ASAN.

Action Alert! Tell Your Senators to Vote No on Amy Coney Barrett

October 24, 2020

Tell Your Senators to Vote No on Amy Coney Barrett!!

The Senate Judiciary Committee broke Senate rules, and Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court will be headed to a full vote VERY SOON. We expect the full Senate to vote on Judge Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court as soon as October 26, though the date is not set. Your calls, emails, and tweets are needed now more than ever. Judge Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court would pose a serious threat to the rights of people with disabilities.  Judge Barrett has stated that she believes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional.  During her confirmation hearings she refused to back down from this statement. She also refused to say that Medicare and Social Security were clearly constitutional. Millions of Americans with disabilities stand to lose their health care coverage if Justice Barrett becomes a deciding vote to strike down the law.  If she is confirmed on the schedule currently set, she would join the Court in time to participate in the November 10th arguments in the case challenging the ACA. 

Please take a few minutes today to tell your Senators to vote no on her nomination!

The Affordable Care Act is important for people with disabilities.  Its protections for people with pre-existing conditions, expansion of Medicaid, requirements for coverage of mental health services and habilitation services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, expansion of home and community-based services options, protections against disability discrimination, and expansion of the reach of mental health parity are essential to the health, independence, and self-sufficiency of Americans with disabilities.

Judge Barrett’s record also raises other serious concerns for people with disabilities as well.  For details, you can read the letter that AAPD and more than 50 other disability organizations sent to the Senate opposing her nomination.

Now more than ever, Senators in every state need to know that Barrett is a dangerous nominee who would put disability rights at risk and vote to overturn the ACA. 

Please take some time today or through the weekend to let your Senator know that you’re counting on them to protect disability rights and oppose Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Take Action

Call your Senators

Call Senators through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (tty) and ask to be connected to your Senators. Use Contacting Congress to easily identify your Senators.

Sample Call Script:
Hello, this is [name]. I’m a resident of [town, state]. I am calling to ask [Senator’s name] to oppose the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. As a [person with a disability or family member/friend/co-worker of a person with a disability], I am worried that Judge Barrett’s statements on the Affordable Care Act mean that, if confirmed, she would vote to overturn the ACA. Millions of Americans with disabilities rely on the ACA to protect our right to healthcare. If the ACA is overturned, especially during a pandemic, millions of lives could be at risk.

I ask you to vote no to Judge Barrett and pass on my concerns to your fellow Senators.

Thank you!

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address and zip code to ensure your call is tallied]

Email and Tweet your Senators

Use the advocacy tool below to send an email and tweet directly to your Senators to tell them to oppose the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, or keep scrolling for sample social media content. Once you fill out your information, edit the email to personalize it with your name, location, and experience.

Be sure to connect your Twitter account to use the social media outreach feature of this tool.

Sample Posts that include options to call out states and Senators directly:

The Senate will vote on Judge Barrett’s nomination to replace Justice Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. She has stated she believes the ACA is unconstitutional. A vote for judge Barrett is a vote to repeal the ACA and roll back disability rights! Tell your senator to vote NO on her nomination! View our full action alert https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-nominee-barrett-2/  #OurCourt #WhatsAtStake

ACTION ALERT: The Senate is days away from confirming Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court, threatening the #ACA and lives of millions of people with disabilities. Tell your Senator today to vote NO on Barrett! #OurCourt #WhatsAtStake Learn how to help at https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-nominee-barrett-2/

100,000 million people will lose critical healthcare protections if the ACA is repealed. Amy Coney Barrett believes that the ACA is unconstitutional. Tell your Senators to protect the ACA and to vote NO on her nomination! #OurCourt #WhatsAtStake View our full action alert https://www.aapd.com/action-alert-nominee-barrett-2/

Twitter Graphic, Facebook Graphic, Instagram Graphic

Bold black text says “Action Alert: Help Protect Our Healthcare,” and smaller text says “The confirmation of Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court threatens the healthcare and lives of MILLIONS of people with disabilities. You can help by telling your Senators to vote NO on Judge Barrett by...Phone, Email, Mail” with red icons of a phone, computer mouse, and mail next to the words phone, email, and mail respectively. The bright yellow graphic has a red heart rate monitor line on the bottom left and the black AAPD logo on the bottom right.

Check out our Social Media Toolkit for more social media posts and graphics!

Material on Judge Barrett

*Script language from AUCD.

Action Alert! National Call-in Day on Supreme Court Nominee Judge Barrett

October 9, 2020

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 move quickly with her confirmation hearings and a vote.

AAPD and at least 50 disability rights groups strongly oppose the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett due to her direct hostility towards the Affordable Care Act and her record on many issues that would harm people with disabilities. On Monday, October 12th, the disability community is coordinating a national call-in day to voice our opposition to the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. With her confirmation hearings beginning the 12th  and a vote planned for the end of the month, it is important that we make our voices heard now!

Take Action

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 us using this online form. We are requesting this information by Friday, October 16, 2020.

Call your Senators

Call Senators through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (tty) and ask to be connected to your Senators. Use Contacting Congress to easily identify your Senators.

Email and Tweet your Senators

Use the advocacy tool below to send an email and tweet directly to your Senators to tell them to oppose the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. Once you fill out your information, edit the email to personalize it with your name, location, and experience.

Be sure to connect your Twitter account to use the social media outreach feature of this tool.

Sample Call Script:

Hello, this is [name]. I’m a resident of [town, state]. I am calling to ask [Senator’s name] to oppose the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. As a [person with a disability or family member/friend/co-worker of a person with a disability], I am worried that Judge Barrett’s statements on the Affordable Care Act mean that, if confirmed, she would vote to overturn the ACA. Millions of Americans with disabilities rely on the ACA to protect our right to healthcare. If the ACA is overturned, especially during a pandemic, millions of lives could be at risk.

I ask you to vote no to Judge Barrett and pass on my concerns to the Judiciary Committee.

Thank you!

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address and zip code to ensure your call is tallied]

Material on Judge Barrett

*Script language from AUCD.

Meet Christine Liao: AAPD’s Program Manager

November 21, 2019 | Christine Liao, Programs Manager


Christine Liao is the Programs Manager at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). She coordinates and implements all of AAPD’s national programs, including the Summer Internship ProgramDisability Mentoring DayAAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership AwardsDisability Rights Storytellers Fellowship, and NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship. These duties will help support AAPD’s mission to serve as a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities. Please see below to learn more about Christine.

Head shot of Christine Liao smiling.
Christine Liao

AAPD is excited to announce Christine Liao as their new Programs Manager! In this role, she will coordinate and implement all of AAPD’s national programming. Some of Christine’s priorities include diversity and inclusion, intersectionality, and empowering the next generation of leaders. In the past six years, Christine has been dedicated to creating programmatic opportunities and spaces for emerging leaders to explore their leadership with a disability framework. Since starting her new role in the beginning of November 2019, Christine shares, “I’m excited to be at AAPD not just because of their work of changing systems to be more inclusive, but because they empower emerging leaders with disabilities to lead the change.”

Prior to joining AAPD, Christine worked at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). She collaborated with diverse stakeholders to rebrand and strengthen the infrastructure of the AUCD Emerging Leaders Community, an initiative that serves as a professional home to thousands of current and former trainees and early career professionals. She also provided technical assistance to 64 federally-funded interdisciplinary training programs aimed to enhance the clinical and leadership skills of professionals who serve children with disabilities and their families.

Christine has extensive experience serving the deaf and disability communities in mental health, health care, academic, and community settings in both of her native languages, American Sign Language and English. She has supported deaf refugees through a global non-governmental organization, deaf children and adults with developmental and other disabilities, and adults who became deaf due to brain and/or physical injury. Through these activities, Christine gained experienced in universal design, program planning, community outreach, and community organizing; she also developed expertise in disseminating information using technology accessible to a variety of audiences. 

Christine earned her MSW from Arizona State University’s School of Social Work, with an emphasis on policy, planning and community organizing. She holds a BS degree in Psychology with a minor in American Sign Language from the University of Washington.

Organizers Forum: Women, Gender, Sexism, and the Disability Rights Movement

  • Tuesday, March 19, 2019
  • 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern; 12:00-1:00 Central; 11:00-12:00 Mountain; 10:00-11:00 Pacific
  • RSVP
  • Call-in: 1-515-739-1285, passcode 521847# 
  • Join the meeting online

 In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, the March Organizers Forum will be about women, gender and sexism in the disability community. We’ll talk about how to make disability spaces feminist spaces, how to address the leadership gap for women (and non-binary people) in the disability community, and intersectional feminism.  Speakers to be announced.  

Accommodations & CART: 

  • The call will have real-time captioning (CART) at: https://2020archive.1capapp.com/event/forum/.
  • No username and password needed, when you log on at the time of the call.
  • To ask questions via CART: Sign-in to the chat function on the right side of the transcript and type your question. One of the call facilitators will read questions posted there.
  • Because we want to maximize the generously donated CART services, we will begin the call promptly at 1:00 p.m. and end the call promptly at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
  • Thank you to the National Disability Leadership Alliance for sponsoring the captioning of this call.
  • If you need additional accommodations to participate in the call, please let us know as soon as possible. 

Mark your calendars! The Organizer’s Forum has a call on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern. 

Background: The Organizing Workgroup of the National Disability Leadership Alliance hosts these calls the third Tuesday of every month as a resource for disability organizers, in an effort toward building the organizing capacity of the disability community across the country. They generally follow the format of a Welcome followed by 2-3 experts in a given area speaking for a few minutes on their experiences, advice and challenges. The calls include a 20-30 minute question and answer period. 

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