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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Action Alert: People with Disabilities Are Sidelined in American Politics!

NFDI Logo with Romney and ObamaAccording to a recent study, people with disabilities are an important voting bloc, so why are the candidates not talking about disability issues?

The 2012 National Forum on Disability Issues (NFDI) is now only one and a half weeks away, but the candidates have still not confirmed their participation! We need your help to contact the campaigns. Tell them that people with disabilities and their families matter in this election.  Tell them to show they care by coming to Columbus on September 28!

Invite:  Call, e-mail, make a video, or take a photo and send it to the candidates inviting them to attend (see sample script below).  See sample video invitations.

Contact the Campaigns.

A sample script:

“My name is [your name], I’m a registered voter in [your state], and [an issue that is important to you] matters to me.  I have a [disability or sibling / child / parent / friend] who [has a disability / depends on these services].

57 Million Americans, my [sibling / child / parent / friend], and I want to hear more about [President Obama’s or Governor Romney’s] plan for these issues at the National Forum on Disability Issues on September 28 in Columbus, Ohio. Please add this important event to his schedule!”

Register: The forum will be webcast live for free – register today at www.nfdi.org. This will be an excellent teaching and advocacy opportunity for your community. View individually or have a group watching party.

Twitter: Follow the Forum on Twitter for updates, use hashtag #NFDI2012, & re-tweet our messages to your followers.  Facebook: friend us, and write and share the posts frequently with your audience.