When she was young, Laura worked in a sheltered workshop. She was paid eight cents an hour doing contract work. Nicki faced discrimination at work. She was told that asking for accommodations that would let her work with everyone else were “a waste of taxpayer money”. They both now work in integrated employment, but too many people are still trapped in sheltered workshops.
We need to continue pushing our elected officials to support integrated employment for all people with disabilities. This is our fifth TCEA Tuesday—you’ve kept the momentum going this far, and we need your help to pass the bill!
Here’s how YOU can push TCEA to victory:
- Keep calling your elected officials – Calls are an effective way to reach your Congresspeople. We’re here to support you with TCEA Tuesdays, a script, and our new proxy calling system for people who are unable to use the phone.
- Make calls for someone else – If you are able to do so, offering to join our proxy calling system and call for other people is a great way to make sure our message is being heard. You can learn more about how the system works here.
- Visit your elected officials in person – Your Congresspeople are home for August recess, making now a better time than ever to see them in person and talk to them in real life about the kind of impact TCEA would have on our community.
- Go to a town hall – To find out if there’s a town hall or other public event coming up near you, visit TownHallProject.com and type in your ZIP code. We have a new guide on what to expect at a town hall available here.
- Spread the word – Share our TCEA Tuesdays page and use our sample tweets and posts to encourage your friends to get involved in our fight for integrated employment!
We would love to hear from you! Let us know how you’ve been taking action and what you plan to do next by tweeting us @autselfadvocacy.
TCEA won’t just end subminimum wage—it will fund programs that expand supported employment, so more people like Nicki and Laura can work in their communities. Your calls are pushing more and more cosponsors aboard this bill, so don’t stop now! Together, we can pass TCEA and take a huge step towards equality in employment for all people with disabilities.