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News: Schedule Congressional Appointments Today!

October 22, 2014

We hope that while you are in DC for the #AUCD2014 Conference you will schedule time to meet with your Members of Congress. We want your Senators and Representatives to hear directly from you about your work and why it is important to people with disabilities in your state and nationwide. We also need to build new congressional champions on disability issues.

You will need to call your Members to schedule the meetings before you arrive. If you haven't already done so, we suggest that you do this as soon as possible but at least a week in advance. Making appointments and meeting with your Members is easy! Just follow our simple steps...

  1. Call the Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator or Representative or use our Action Center and enter your Zip Code to find your officials' phone numbers.
  2. Ask to speak to the staff person that handles health, disability or appropriations (if they are on the Appropriations Committee).
  3. Say that you would like to schedule an appointment for Nov. 12 early in the afternoon to provide an update on the research, education, training, and services your Center is providing. (Appointments can of course be made at any point during the Conference that fits your schedule, but we don't want you to miss the great Conference content!)
  4. Make your appointment. (Schedule Senate or House visits together and give yourself at least 30 minutes to walk to the other side of the Capitol. We suggest scheduling multiple meetings in 30 minute increments.) See also Tips for Making Hill visits prepared for the Disability Policy Seminar.
  5. Prioritize your visits depending on the Committee assignments of your Members of Congress or as well as the representative that is in the district of the Center (see full congressional directory on AUCD's Action Center. Is your Member on the House or Senate Appropriations Committee? If so, please make that visit top priority!
  6. Use our sample talking points (get them from Kim or Rachel) or prepare your own. Take copies of research briefs, helpful data, and real people stories and tie them to your policy objectives.
  7. Contact Kim Musheno or Rachel Patterson with specific policy questions or if you need assistance to make your appointments.
  8. Finally, provide us feedback from your visits. We will provide feedback forms to help you.