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With Hurricane Florence expected to make landfall and possibly affecting most of North Carolina, the message is clear. The time to prepare is now. And we want you to be ready. As of this post, Florence is now a category 4 storm. It has the potential to bring devastating storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, high winds, rain and possible tornadoes. Many people are new to North Carolina and have never been through a hurricane and we want everyone to be prepared.

Written by: Bryan Dooley 

Last month marked the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I’m sure there was a celebration going on wherever you are reading this. I hope you attended one of those events because the passage of the ADA is worth celebrating. The story of how the law passed is still inspiring to me because it exemplifies what a country is supposed to do when we try and solve problems as a society. There was a vigorous debate about what the bill would entail, and of course, both parties had their partisan ideas. Due to work that was done by people inside and outside of the government, it became a bipartisan effort. It was supported by ideologically diverse politicians such as Tom Harkin, Ted Kennedy, Bob Dole and many more. The ADA was ultimately signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush.

Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) has just introduced the Healthcare Extension and Accessibility for Developmentally Disabled and Underserved Population Act, or the HEADs UP Act of 2018. This piece of legislation would designate people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) as a Medically Underserved Population (MUP). This designation is direly needed as people with I/DD experience poorer health outcomes, shortened life expectancies, and lack access to even the most basic forms of care when compared to the non-disabled population. The I/DD population meets every criteria to be designated as a MUP, and doing so would open access to over 25 federal programs that would expand access to primary care and specialist services, incentivize new research, and authorize more favorable reimbursement rates for providers who treat this population, among other programs.

Congratulations to the 2018 Project SEARCH graduating class – pictured above:

(Back row, left to right) Joy Drummond, Ben Milling, Celeste Gardner, Ryan Smith.
(Front row, left to right) Johnny Engelbrecht, Annie Hetherington, Zoe Silvey, Jesse Trimbach, Zach Voigt.

The ABLE Age Adjustment Act would amend Section 529A(e) of the Internal Revenue Code to increase the eligibility for Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts for the onset of disability from prior to age 26 to prior to age 46.  This savings tool can positively impact millions of people with disabilities. 

The ABLE Age Adjustment Act is gathering some steam and your Representatives need to hear from people in North Carolina to support enactment of the legislation this year. There are several organizations on Capitol Hill for the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act this week and the ABLE Age Adjustment Act is on their agendas. We need you to call your Representatives (202-224-3121) today!

Senator Richard Burr is a co-sponsor of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act. If you contact his office, please thank him for his continued support of the ABLE program. 

 To assist you, click the "read more" for a script that you can use when talking with your Members.

This July marks the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The law was created to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. It protects them from being discriminated in employment, schools, transportation and all places open to the public. Simply put, it allows people with disabilities to live as others do