Sept 20--Voter Registration Week

The Messenger

Sept 20, 2022

Celebrate National Voter Registration Week!

National Voter Registration Day is September 20th 2022!

"Celebrated every September, National Voter Registration Day involves volunteers and organizations from all over the country hitting the streets in a single day of coordinated field, technology and media efforts. National Voter Registration Day seeks to create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities to reach tens of thousands of voters who may not register otherwise.

According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. National Voter Registration Day wants to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote."

The Board and Staff of The Arc-Dane County remind you that your voice counts and encourage you to pledge to vote in 2022! Voting is very important. It is a way for you to help choose the people that run our government. Our government makes laws, decides how money gets spent, and much more. Who gets picked to run the governments makes a big difference for people with disabilities and their families. If you do not vote, then you do not get a say in what happens. Pledge to vote and encourage others to vote and help improve your community today!

Click Here to Get Registered and Learn More About the Upcoming Elections

If you need support getting your documents together to register to vote, contact VoteRiders. They provide voter ID assistance so that every American can cast a ballot that counts.

Help Strengthen Nondiscrimination Protections

People with disabilities often face discrimination when trying to access health care. Section 1557 was passed to help address this discrimination, but a lot of important things were eliminated or left out when the last administration changed the rules! Please urge the Administration to improve access to health care by strengthening nondiscrimination protections.

Take Action Here

Biden Administration Issues Final Public Charge Immigration Rule

On September 8, the Department of Homeland Security issued a final public charge immigration rule, which takes effect on December 23, 2022. The final rule revises the agency’s policy for considering if an applicant for certain categories of immigration will depend on government benefits to meet their needs.

The rule takes steps to ensure that health care programs, like Medicaid and social services, will not count against potential immigrants.

The Arc and the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities submitted comments on the proposed rule. Those comments influenced this final rule for the better. We were successful in excluding short term rehabilitation and community-based services from consideration. Overall, the use of core health, nutrition, and housing assistance programs will not be considered in a public charge determination.

Thank You for Supporting our Fall Flower Fundraiser!

Special thanks go out to Midwest Equipment Specialists for helping us to transport the flowers as well as allowing us to use their space for pick up again this year. We could not do this without your support.

And thank you to Stonefield Plant Farms for again supplying us with the beautiful and huge plants.

Coming Soon! The Holiday Fruit Fundraiser!

This free online class will start Monday, October 3rd and continue through December 5th. It will be from 1:30 - 3:00 pm. with zoom links and materials sent out each week. Class participants will be limited so register now.

*We are looking at additional class times that would include evenings or on weekends*

Have questions? Contact Anne at arc.amstevens@gmail.com

Learn more and start your registration here.

On October 16th at 1:30PM, Theta Delta Chi will be hosting a Flutie 5k on behalf of the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Sign up to race, form a team, or just stop by and see us down on Lakeshore Path! Proceeds from Flutie 5Ks for Autism stay in the community to support local organizations---like us!

Use code ARC10 for a 10% discount on your registration!

As an extra incentive, the first five people to register can participate for

free using code ARC100.

Join us for fun and dancing on October 30th from 1:00 - 4:00 at Pooleys!

Download & Print a Registration Form Here

Photovoice research study for adults with IDD

Ausderau Research Lab is currently recruiting adults with IDD from the state of Wisconsin to participate in our study on impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are asking people to take photos of what has changed in their life due to COVID-19 and then talk about the photos they took with other people in the study.

Interested? Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/MbwMeFK3rT1HL7PSA.

Please contact Libby Hladik with questions ehladik@wisc.edu

COVID-19 Information--Stay safe. Stay Informed.

“The COVID-19 vaccines and boosters remain one of the best ways to protect yourself from severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “As we see rising cases due to the spread of increasingly infectious variants, it is important that we continue to use all the tools we have available to prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed – that includes getting vaccinated if you have not already done so and staying up to date by getting any recommended additional or booster doses.”