🎁 ASAN December Update 🎁

Snowy trees with a snow path leading that way

ASAN December Newsletter

Dear friend,

Happy holidays from everyone here at ASAN! During the course of this year, you’ve seen how your continued support keeps our organization going. We’ve sent you updates about our events and campaigns, urgent action alerts, new resources, and plenty of information on how to join our fight for disability rights. We have big plans to keep up the fight in the coming year and beyond. While we are wrapping up our year, the work doesn’t stop: here’s what we’ve been working on this month.

To start the month, ASAN held a virtual hill day, encouraging self advocates across the country to set up virtual meetings with their Members of Congress on the same day and demand that Congress include a ban on the use of electric skin shock devices in the end of year omnibus bill. We welcome the passing of the omnibus bill with this provision included. This is a direct result of your advocacy, whether that be meetings, calls, and texts, demanding that Congress take action to end torture at the Judge Rotenberg Center. This is a victory, but we cannot close this chapter in history yet. The FDA must now ban the electric skin shock device again in order to #StopTheShock. Thank you for continuing the fight!

Come join the ASAN team! We are hiring for a Grassroots Associate position. The Grassroots Associate provides program coordination to ASAN’s Operations team, working specifically on community engagement and leadership development programs. For more information and a breakdown of responsibilities, see the posting here.

We’ve also opened up applications for an internship in policy, as well as an internship in programs and communications! The Spring internships will begin February 2023 and end May 2023. Interns will work with ASAN staff to figure out what professional skills they would like to work on, and how we can best support them. For more information on either internship and a breakdown of responsibilities, see the posting here.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out our 2022 Annual Report and learn where we’ve been and where we’re going in 2023. And help ASAN get ready for the new year by taking our annual survey! We’re excited to hear from you about what issues matter to you and what you’d like to see from us.

While we’re getting ready to ring in 2023, there’s still time to support ASAN through your end-of-year giving. When you pledge your support, you’re empowering disabled people to harness our power and be a part of the ongoing fight for our rights. Thank you for making our work possible!

With warm wishes for the new year,

The team at ASAN

Our policy team had a busy month to wrap up the year! Here’s what we had going on behind the scenes:

  • Signed onto a Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights  letter asking for Bipartisan Safer Communities Act guidance that avoids law enforcement in schools as much as possible
  • Joined the National Women’s Law Center and and Education Trust in asking for a nationwide corporal punishment ban in schools
  • Opposed the NYC mayor’s proposal to involuntarily hospitalize homeless residents
  • Requested that Congress appropriate funds for solar power for disabled Puerto Ricans, who at one point went six months without power and therefore basic infrastructure.

ASAN was pleased that Congress has passed the Respect for Marriage Act. This landmark legislation protects and enshrines same-sex marriage as the law of the land. There are also imperfect, but important, protections for interracial marriage as well.

Support our work      Become a member