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

Disability Integration Act (DIA) Update

First, we have THREE new cosponsors in the House! Our new cosponsors are:

  • Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
  • Cheri Bustos (D-IL)
  • Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA)

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WORKED TO SECURE THESE COSPONSORS!

NCIL logo - National Council on Independent LivingWe are approaching a critical time for our legislation with the NCIL Annual Conference, Day on the Hill, and upcoming midterm elections. To help get you ready, here are some “DIA Tools You Can Use”.

Need general information about DIA?

Learn about the bill at www.disabilityintegrationact.org.

Contacting your Member of Congress?

Here are some resources for meetings and other contacts with legislators. We have fact sheets and comprehensive Hill packets that you can email or print and give them. While DIA is bipartisan, in our discussions with legislators many of the questions we have received about the legislation have differed along party lines. In order to better help you address your legislator’s questions, we have developed materials specific to each party, so be sure to use the right ones. 

Worried you will be asked a question and you won’t know the answer?

We have prepared answers to Frequently Asked Questions About DIA. This material will make you an INSTANT EXPERT on the bill. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to read all of that before your Hill contact. (Most of us don’t.) If you get asked a question and don’t know the answer, you can just tell them you will get back to them with the answer and go look it up. If you don’t see your question in the FAQ, just email [email protected] and we will write up an answer and add it to the FAQ.

Did you make a call, email, or visit?

We have set up a website that allows you to see the contacts that have already been made and log your own contacts so we can follow up. Document your contacts at www.c4ci.org.