"No Hate" Town Hall Meeting

Photo credit: Patti Banks/Patrician Photo for Kean University

Photo credit: Patti Banks/Patrician Photo for Kean University

Photo credit: Patti Banks/Patrician Photo for Kean University

Photo credit: Patti Banks/Patrician Photo for Kean University

ACI was at the “No Hate” Town Hall Meeting at Kean University on January 12th. The American Conference on Diversity (ACOD), in collaboration with Kean University, hosted this meeting with the intention of engaging in an open dialog about diversity, inclusion, and ending hate. The panel included representatives from the legal community as well as Kean and Rutgers Universities. The mission of empowering individuals and institutions to address issues of bias and discrimination is important to support. Thank you to all those who stopped by our table for information.

Photo credit for last four photos: Patti Banks/Patrician Photo for Kean University

Get Educated and Registered for the 2016 Election!

The following NJ Centers for Independent Living/REV UP NJ will be holding Voter Education/Registration events.

• Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) - September 14th - Voter Registration Day, 629 Amboy Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837. 732.738.4388 or ctonks@adacil.org. Register to vote and get a free REV UP NJ t-shirt: adacil.org

• Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) - September 2nd - Voting Rights/Registration- The Arc of Middlesex County, Raritan Center, Edison NJ, 732.738.4388, ctonks@adacil.org, adacil.org

• Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) - September 6th - Voting Rights/Registration- Edison Workshop, Edison, NJ, 732.738.4388, ctonks@adacil.org, adacil.org

• Resources for Independent Living (RIL) - Voter Education/Registration, October 11th - 1:30 to 3:30 PM, 351 High Street, Suite 103, Burlington, NJ, 609.747.7745

• Center for Independent Living-SJ - Voter Registration- August 26th, 10am to 3:30 pm. - 1150 Delsea Drive, Suite 1, Westville, NJ 08093, 856.853.6490. Free water ice if you register to vote!

• Heightened Independence & Progress - (Heightened Independence Project) September 10th, Voter Registration, 35 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ (outside of the HIP building) 201.533.4407

• MOCEANS Center for Independent Living - 279 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740- Voter Registration/Education Workshop coming in September - 732.571.4884

• Progressive Center for Independent Living - Voter Registration/Education Workshop coming in September - 3525 Quakerbridge Road, Hamilton, NJ 08619, 609.581.4500

• Heightened Independence & Progress/Bergen - Voter Registration Workshop - Date to be announced. 131 Main Street, Suite 120, Hackensack, NJ 07601, 201.996.9100

• Camden City Independent Living Center - Voter Registration events in September and October. Virtua Campus, 1000 Atlantic Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104. For information, please call 856.966.0800 or email vedasmithccilc@aol.com

• DIAL, Inc. - Voter Education/Registration Workshop coming in September. 2 Prospect Village Plaza, First Floor, Clifton, NJ 07013, 973.470.8090

REV UP New Jersey Disability Voting Campaign Officially Kicks Off in Trenton

Thank you to everyone who braved the heat and participated in the REV UP New Jersey Kickoff at the NJ State House. About 30 people heard speeches about the importance of the disability vote and our participation in the election process. Among the speakers were: NJ Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling of Monmouth County, Kevin Casey, Executive Director of the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities and Norman Smith, Associate Executive, Project Freedom.

The event was organized by Alliance Center for Independence and REV UP New Jersey and funded by the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Make Your Community Accessible with NJ's Barrier Free Subcode

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.

Call the Trump for President Headquarters on July 14th!

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.