Let Congress Know We're Paying Attention - Speak from
Your Own Personal Experience!
CHADD turns twenty this year and our annual conference
in Washington, DC, will reflect our progress since 1987. (Has it really
been that long?) We’ve come a long way since that first meeting in
Florida and part of our growth has been taking on the issues that affect
people with AD/HD. Thanks to you we’ve enjoyed a great deal
of success, including:
Making sure AD/HD was covered
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA);
Obtaining funding for the first-ever National Resource Center on AD/HD,
currently housed at CHADD; and
Partially ending discriminatory treatment of mental illness in health
insurance plans (Mental Health Parity).
Without you - and your letters, emails and
phone calls - none of these victories would have been possible. So
as part of our 20th anniversary celebration we simply can’t pass
up the opportunity to let Congress know that we’re paying
attention. And after all, what would a conference in Washington,
DC, be without a trip to the Capitol?
As part of our conference agenda, on Thursday November 8 we are
sponsoring our first-ever CHADD “Morning on the Hill” for
all of our conference attendees. Our “Morning on the Hill”
is an integral part of the annual conference – it is included in
your registration fee and there are no competing conference sessions.
All conference attendees will be on the Hill. Wednesday night we
are planning to have a presidential candidate open our
conference.
Now, we know the thought of meeting with your US Representatives and
Senators can be, well, a little daunting…so we’re making it
as easy as…taking a walk! And of course you have
questions—we have answers!
Q) I’ve never met
with my elected officials and I don’t how to make an
appointment.
A) That’s okay because CHADD will handle all that
for you.
Q) I’m worried
about how to get to the Capitol and back.
A) No problem. We’ll provide
wheelchair-accessible climate-controlled coach buses to and from
the Capitol and get you back in time for
lunch!
Q) What if I get lost and maybe
miss the rest of conference?
A) We have you covered! Each and every step of your
visit will be guided along the way by experienced
and trained CHADD Hill Visit “Captains.”
Q) I won’t be all
alone, will I?
A) Absolutely not! Hundreds of CHADD conference
attendees will be there with you, and you’ll be meeting with your
Representatives and Senators with other CHADD members from your home state!
Q) What if I get tired or
stressed while I’m there, where can I go?
A) We’ll have two staffed rooms, one on the House
side one on the Senate side, for you to relax in, grab a soda or juice, rest your feet, and chat with other CHADD
members. Just don’t get too comfortable because there’s a whole evening of activities
we wouldn’t want you to miss.
Q) But I’m not an
expert on the issues; I don’t know what to say!
A) No worries. We’ll provide handouts on a few
special issues, and facilitators will be assigned to each and every meeting to guide the discussion. All you
need to do is tell your story about how AD/HD has
affected you and/or your loved ones; and you already know about
that. Speak from your personal
experience.
Q) What if they ask a
question I can’t answer?
A) Just tell them we’ll get back to them. Each
meeting facilitator will have a way to get those questions to us.
Hmmm…okay well, that sounds easy
enough.
Q) Now, how do I get
signed up for the Morning on the Hill?
A) Easy…just register for the conference and
we’ll handle it from there.
Q) Oh, one last thing,
what should I wear?
A) Whatever you want as long as it’s
comfortable.
Come to Washington and speak from your own personal
experience... let Congress know we’re paying attention! We
hope to see you “On the Hill” on November 8th.
Paul J. Seifert
CHADD Director of Public Policy
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