Message from the President and CEO, Cass Isidro
Voting is the foundation of our democracy, and we believe all voters have the right to an accessible, private, and independent option to vote. While the Coalition does not participate in campaigns as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, we do encourage our community to make your voices heard and make a plan to vote. Our Advocacy Forum in 2023 reimagined the possibilities for advocacy and impact at Capitol Hill as an opportunity to showcase the solutions that the Amputee Coalition and other disability rights organizations work on to create positive change in the lives of individuals living with limb loss and limb difference.
A voice with no action means no change. We are committed to and strive daily to build a vibrant network of advocates to advance the needs of the 4 million plus million Americans living with limb loss and limb difference and the 28 million Americans at risk of experiencing limb loss. We also recognize this population will double by 2050. We believe the time to act is now to ensure support for those living with limb loss and limb difference.
September is a critical time to create movement as we come alongside our counterparts in advocacy to collectively build awareness surrounding voting rights. Disability Voting Rights Week is September 11-15, 2023, dedicated to make sure disabled voters in your community are registered and ready to vote. There are over 38 million people with disabilities who are eligible to vote, but access barriers keep many disabled voters from accessing their right to vote. Disability Voting Rights Week is all about protecting the rights of people with disabilities to participate fully in our democracy. Disability Voting Rights used to be called “National Disability Voter Registration Week” and is hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities’ REV UP Voting Campaign. AAPD works to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities. AAPD is a national disability-led and cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for over 60 million Americans with disabilities. We do this by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation.
We thank AAPD and their Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power! REV UP campaign started in 2016 with a mission to build the power of the disability vote by making sure disabled voters are registered and ready to vote in every election; advocating for accessible voting processes, from registering to vote to casting a ballot.
Join us in taking action by visiting the AAPD website to review and utilize the 2023 Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW) Resources that include the DVRW toolkit, fill in press release, sample proclamation, and A REV UP Plan to Vote checklist.
We also encourage you to connect with the Amputee Coalition and the advocacy opportunities we provide year-round, including our Lead Advocate Program and quarterly All-Advocate calls.