Thank you to Emily Templeton of the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs and Edward Haas of the NJ Division on Civil Rights for their informative workshop on NJ's Barrier Free Subcode and the NJ's Law Against Discrimination. The workshop, entitled Making Your Community Accessible, is another of a series of workshops on disability rights and the law.
On July 14, the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) in Edison and REV UP NJ, will organize a Call-In Day to the Trump for President Campaign Headquarters in New York City to demand that Donald Trump address the concerns of 54 million people in the United State with disabilities.
The disability community is outraged that the Trump Campaign has refused to respond to the questionnaire posed to it in January by RespectAbilityUSA, a disability advocacy organization based in Baltimore. All the major candidates for president on both sides of the aisle were sent the 16- item questionnaire which addressed disability issues and policy. Several candidates responded prior to dropping out of the race including Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Bernie Sanders. Hillary Clinton’s response to the question can be viewed on the RespectAbility website. With less than one week before the Republican Convention, the Trump Campaign has yet to respond.
In January, the Trump for President Campaign received a list of 16 questions related to disability policy and issues important to the 54 million Americans with disabilities. The questionnaire was put together by RespectAbilityUSA, a Maryland-based disability advocacy organization. The questionnaire was sent to all the presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle. Since that time, however, all but the Trump campaign have responded.
As of now, the Trump campaign has refused to answer the questions or acknowledge them in anyway. Since January, calls, emails and a visit to his campaign headquarters in Edison asking Trump to complete the questionnaire have gone unanswered.
As the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, his continued dismissal of our community should not go unchallenged! Join us on Trump Call-In Day and send a message that we will not be ignored. For more details, visit our Upcoming Events page.
This call-in day has been organized by the Alliance Center for Independence and REV UP NJ. REV UP NJ is comprised of disability agencies throughout the state, including NJ Centers for Independent Living, the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Disability Rights NJ. To become involved in REV UP NJ, please sign up at our website: adacil.org/voting or visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/revupnj
REV UP NJ is part of a national movement to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the election process.
ACI and REV UP NJ are both non-partisan groups. We don't endorse or criticize any candidate. The purpose of our efforts is to educate NJ's disability community in voting and the election process.
Thank you to everyone who attended the first meeting of REV UP New Jersey, an effort led by the ACI to engage NJ's disability advocacy organizations in increasing the participation of people with disabilities in the elections process. Our first planning meeting included representatives from the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability Rights NJ, DAWN, Inc., Moceans and the Camden City Center for Independent Living. If you would like to be a part of the REV UP NJ planning committee, please contact Luke Koppisch at lkoppisch@adacil.org.
REV UP NJ is part of a national REV UP effort. Be sure to like the REV UP NJ Facebook page for updates on our upcoming REV UP NJ Kickoff at the NJ State House on July 25th, as well as other events.
To register for the kickoff, please visit: adacil.org/upcoming-events/rev-up-nj-kickoff
Thank you to Middlesex County’s Plays in the Park staff, actors, musicians, and crew for a wonderful evening! Eighteen participants from ACI gathered at Roosevelt Park in Edison for a production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The costumes and set design were beautiful to look at while the music and acting were top-notch. ACI participants and staff had a fun time hanging out under the sea with Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian and the rest of the gang!
