Archives: 2007

November/December

Point + Shoot + Click to Post = Educate. A Win!

We have evolved to a society that demands instant gratification. Access to our friends, shopping, making travel plans, the latest news and our favorite music or video is now no more than a mouse-click away. Love it or hate it, these modern Internet-driven conveniences present tremendous opportunity and ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign (NAC) is committed to harnessing a piece of the inexpensive, expedient exposure these exploding mediums afford anyone with access to a computer.

While the NAC has already experienced some online success—generating tens of thousands of letters to Capitol Hill, garnering heavy traffic for a workforce focused cartoon and, most recently, helping launch a DSP video viewed more than 150,000 times on YouTube—the possibilities going forward are limitless, but only if the ANCOR network is vested in the NAC’s online initiatives.

ANCOR’s newest internet-based effort, DSP TV Online, is a fun, easy video contest. With your participation, DSP TV Online will be another tool to educate people about the direct support workforce—both online and off.

So here’s how it works. DSP TV Online is just like YouTube. You shoot a video on a video camera, your cell phone, your Treo or anything that records a video clip and you upload it to DSP TV Online. It’s that easy. Point. Shoot. Click to post. And, best of all, once you post, you’re entered to win a prize!

The DSP TV Online contest, located at the NAC Web site, www.YouNeedTo KnowMe.org, is open to anyone with the stipulation that their video(s) must be about the direct support workforce. We are looking to Direct Support Professionals, people with disabilities, families, providers and supporters/ advocates to tell the DSP story with their own voices. Tell why this workforce so important; why DSPs are so deserving of additional compensation and; how DSPs are Making a Difference!

ANCOR’s partner in the DSP TV Online contest, Therap Services, LLC, is providing the technical savvy and resources fueling this project. They’ve even constructed an easy to follow tutorial tool that walks contestants through the process of posting their video on www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org.

Everyone submitting a video to DSP TV Online will be eligible for a prize. Prizes will be awarded within each category every month, plus there’s a monthly raffle! The Grand Prize will be awarded in spring 2008 and includes a trip to New Orleans for ANCOR’s April conference.

Visit DSP TV Online today at www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org to learn more about the contest. Be sure to download promotional materials that you can share with your employees, supporters and the people you support and their families.

Like the DSP of the Year Awards and the DSP to DC Rally, DSP TV Online affords us an opportunity to showcase the direct workforce, their critical role and how much we value their terrific work. Get started by visiting www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org today!

October

Security for All or None at All…

(Excerpted remarks from ANCOR CEO Presentation at NAC “DSPs to DC” Capitol Hill Rally, September 11, 2007)

Greetings to the hundreds of direct support professionals, family members and people served who have traveled here to stand up and be counted before the leaders of our great nation. Our thanks to the ANCOR members in attendance and to our supporting partners: The ARC of the U.S., United Cerebral Palsy, and Lutheran Services in America.

Direct support professionals, I welcome you, I am humbled by you, and I applaud you. You are the quiet heroes who give integrity and legitimacy to our great human service endeavor. You bring dignity, respect and vital supports to hundreds of thousands of our children, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors.

I am here today to applaud the Congress of the United States, for I believe they were well intended in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It was noble … It was long overdue … And it took great vision.

But no matter how well-intended a vision might be, we stand here today proclaiming: Good intentions are not enough!

They’re not enough for the hundreds of thousands of Americans with disabilities who languish on waiting lists.

They’re not enough for the countless parents who suffer through sleepless nights worrying about who will care for their children after they are gone.

And they’re not enough for DSPs who labor at two and three jobs because their chosen profession doesn’t pay enough to feed their families’ stomachs, let alone their children’s dreams. For them, good intentions will never be enough!

Without question, the integrity of our support services hinges on the heart and valor of DSPs.

Only DSPs can deliver on the dream of a fulfilled life in the community.

Only DSPs can give peace of mind to families who feel abandoned.

Only DSPs have shown that real commitment is rarely convenient. And that real security must mean security for all.

Indeed, if there is one watchword that reflects the angst of our generation, it is the issue of security. Perhaps never before have the American people felt as insecure as we have since the events of September 11, 2001.

Yet here we stand on September 11, 2007… And, while our elected leaders still wrestle with security on a national level, thousands of DSPs across America wrestle with security on an equally urgent level. Only their security has nothing to do with building fences or missile systems; but everything to do with building opportunity and securing our American way of life.

Perhaps that is the spirit that moved Mikhail Gorbachev to utter the following words:

“The nations of the world today resemble a pack of mountaineers tied together by climbing rope. They can either climb on together to the mountain peak….Or they can fall together into an abyss.” Gorbachev boldly proclaimed, “Security is indivisible.” “It is either equal security for all …Or none at all.”

And that, my friends, is our message today: Security for all or none at all!

We rally this afternoon to remind Congress that unless greater security is accorded those who support America's most vulnerable citizens, there can be no lasting security for any of America's citizens. And that also means the families as well as the men, women and children being served. Unless DSPs are given their due, as we Americans age and weaken, there will be no one left to care.

The legislation now before Congress is entitled the “Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act.” This is because DSPs are the guardians of security.

DSPs are the champions of security. And now it’s time for DSPs to finally be the recipients of meaningful and lasting security.

So when we challenge Congress to dispense with the double standards, you must cry out—Security for all! And when I declare that DSPs are devalued, you must cry out---Security for all! And when I say that DSPs deserve to be compensated, remunerated and otherwise venerated—you must cry out for what is rightfully yours…Security for all or none at all!

For only on that day, when all Americans can claim the same rights that define human aspiration, only then can this great nation truly celebrate its diversity and its rightful place as a leader among nations.

In closing, I pledge to you, the DSPs of America, have no fear that your needs and rights will go unheard. Have no fear that your hopes for your families will remain beyond your grasp. Because your mission, your vision and your dreams of security will be firmly anchored in the American ethic as long as ANCOR has a voice, the passion and the will. And I promise you all, we have the will! Security for all, or none at all…

September

NAC Central: New Energy and a New Opportunity to Showcase Your DSPs

Any good campaign understands the value of momentum. When you get it, you try to bottle it and do everything you can to keep the bottle full. September’s DSP to DC event has given ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign unprecedented momentum. It got providers, supporters and DSPs excited. It raised awareness about the workforce crisis on Capitol Hill. It won us new co-sponsors for the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act. It helped the NAC capture powerful new stories and images.

In short, the DSPs to DC event was an undeniable success, and everyone who participated shares in the credit. We can’t, however, bask in the glory of NAC Central: New Energy and a New Opportunity to Showcase Your DSPs a strong showing. We need to capitalize on the exposure and energy the event garnered before it subsides. That begins with maximizing the value of the DSPs to DC Rally, including:

• Following-up with all the congressional offices you met with on September 11;
• Returning your completed Hill meeting reports to ANCOR;
• Highlighting the event with an article and pictures in your newsletter (or partner/association newsletters) and/or a posting on your Web site;
• Sharing a press release on the event and photos with your local newspapers— this is particularly effective with weekly newspapers; and
• Keeping your participants engaged in advocacy efforts—encourage them to help educate and mobilize their co-workers.

ANCOR has provided template materials (congressional meeting follow- up letters, Hill meeting feedback form, template newsletter article and template press release) to all DSPs to DC Rally participants to help facilitate these key post-event activities. If you need additional copies of the templates or have any questions, please contact Daryn Demeritt, ddemeritt@field goals.net, our advocacy consultant, for assistance.

In addition to the activities you should do at the local-level, ANCOR will be following-up with targeted members of Congress while compiling the sights and sounds of the DSPs to DC event. ANCOR retained professionals to secure hundreds of photos and hours of video footage, all of which will satisfy a variety of needs in the National Advocacy Campaign’s efforts to promote the direct support workforce.

Ready for Your Close-Up?

October marks the launch of DSP TV Online, the National Advocacy Campaign’s new video contest powered by Therap Services, LLC. With Therap’s technical, creative and financial support, DSP TV Online provides a new, fun and entertaining medium for telling the workforce story.

This web-based contest is an extension of www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org and every person who submits a video will be eligible for a prize. Awards will be bestowed by category each month; grand prizes, including a trip to New Orleans, will be awarded in early 2008; and all participants will be entered into a raffle for special prizes.

Entering DSP TV Online could not be easier. Shoot a video on your video camera, your camera phone or on your web cam and upload it to www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org. Therap Services, LLC has even built a tutorial tool to guide users through the process.

DSP TV Online is open to everyone— Direct Support Professionals, people served and self-advocates, families, supporters of people with disabilities and the direct support workforce, etc.—and any entry that highlights the direct support workforce is welcome. While DSP TV Online is a fun contest, it is also about education. The contest is broken into categories that offer ideas about how to create videos that cast a spotlight on who DSPs are, what they do and why their work is so important. And all submissions will be posted on YouTube.com to help give broad exposure to our message.

Most important, these need not be Hollywood-quality productions. Anything and everything five minutes or less is welcome—just tell the story!

DSP TV Online has the basics to be successful—a good idea supported by strong infrastructure. However, without buy-in from ANCOR members, DSPs and supporters, it will fail. The National Advocacy Campaign is counting on you to help promote the contest. It is a great vehicle to help maintain the momentum we built through the DSP to DC event, so tell your managers, tell your DSPs, tell the families you support, visit www.YouNeedTo KnowMe.org, and watch for promotional materials from ANCOR.

Let’s keep things moving forward. Let’s make DSP TV Online the National Advocacy Campaigns next big success!

H.R. 1279 Co-Sponsors Update

As of this writing, 21 additional members of Congress have joined H.R. 1279, the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act, as co-sponsors! This is a direct result of NAC’s DSPs to DC effort. That brings us to a total of 95 co-sponsors! Eight more co-sponsors than we won for the bill through two years in the last Congress (86)! Please adhere to the DSPs to DC follow-up activities referenced herein to make sure we surpass 100 co-sponsors in October! Thank you for the support.

DSPs to DC Rally – Their Message was Clear

Determined. No other word truly captures the mood of the DSPs attending ANCOR’s historic DSPs to DC Rally on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on September 11. In high spirits, undampend by on again, off again rain, more than 300 Direct Support Professionals from across the country applauded and cheered words of support for the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act (H.R. 1279) spoken by colleagues, selfadvocates, family members and members of Congress. The U.S. Capitol provided a spectacular setting for the Rally, buoying everyone’s morale and visually demonstrating their purpose and intent in coming to Washington, DC.

DSP Sean Delany, NY wowed the crowd with his original rap video and solo of “Open Your Eyes.”

Angela Washington won $500 in a DSP to DC drawing!

DSPs waved handmade placards asserting “ ‘Support H.R. 1279’, ‘ Security 4 All,’ ‘Pass H.R. 1279’ , ‘DSPs make a difference. Shouldn’t they also make a living?’” They provided a powerful backdrop for the Rally, which featured prominent speakers within the developmental disabilities community and members of the U.S. Almost 300 DSPs gathered to take their message to Congress. A quick boxed lunch before heading to the Rally. The march to the Hill. Rallying on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Sending a message to Congress! House of Representatives. The message from DSPs was unmistakable: Congress must support and pass H.R. 1279 and give DSPs a living wage. A DSP from Kentucky expressed his sentiments noting that before coming to Washington, he didn’t understand how the Medicaid funding affected his salary.

Some DSPs chanted ANCOR’s new National Advocacy Campaign theme, “You need to know me! I’m a DSP! as they left the grounds of the Capitol to attend meetings with their members of Congress. They were intent about their mission, to convince their representatives in the House to sign up as sponsors of the H.R. 1279 and support wage parity for DSPs. DSP Heather Starks, KY, brought her paycheck to show her Congressman. “I’m going to show him my paycheck!” I’m going to ask him, ‘Can you live on this? Can you support a family of four on this?’”

A quick boxed lunch before heading to the Rally.	Almost 300 DSPs gathered to take their message to Congress.
Daryn Demeritt, Field Goals, taught Politics 101 to willing DSP students.	Congressman Chris Shays, (R-CT) gave strong support to H.R. 1279.
	The march to the Hill.	The march to the Hill.
Rallying on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Sending a message to Congress!
ANCOR CEO Renee Pietrangelo welcomes DSPs to Washington, DC.	Rally speakers included self-advocate Dylan Brown, TN; DSP Tess Collins, ME; DSP Duane Hicks, MN; and parent advocate Rev. Joe Carrico, KY.	Listening intently to the speakers at the Rally.
Jennifer Roberts, healthcare legislative assistant, speaks on behalf of H.R. 1279 sponsor Congressman Lee Terry (R-NB).	Parent advocate Billie McMiller, TX, addresses the crowd.	Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of Rich Carmen, Mosaic; Congressman Langevan, (D-RI); and the Rally translator.
		DSPs study their politics.
The DSP to DC Rally uniform.

July/August

NAC Central: Blackjack! 21 New Co-Sponsors and Key Events Ahead

It takes sacrifice to realize a victory. In the public policy arena, that sacrifice can take many forms– time, energy or resources—and ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign (NAC) is fortunate that many ANCOR members and supporters share in the commitment to creating a more stable, consistent direct support workforce.

The proof is in the numbers. ANCOR members are generously funding the NAC and they are working to secure new legislative champions—21 new members of Congress have co-sponsored H.R. 1279, the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007, in the last month, giving the legislation 61 co-sponsors as of this writing!

While 21 is a great blackjack hand, it also represents the National Advocacy Campaign’s best month ever! Securing 21 new co-sponsors in a single month is a small victory we deserve to celebrate as we pursue our broader goals. It is also a victory that warrants recognition. The NAC Steering Committee thanks all the ANCOR members and supporters who sacrificed to secure these new co-sponsors and offers a special thank you to New York advocates who helped land four, or nearly 20%, of these new co-sponsors. Thank you New York!

The success we’ve experienced in the NAC Central: Blackjack! 21 New Co-Sponsors and Key Events Ahead National Advocacy past month underscore some key lessons. First, persistence pays off. Advocates had to contact most of these new co-sponsors more than once, but they eventually won their support. That’s what it takes.

Second, Congressional Recesses are critical. Fifteen new co-sponsors joined H.R. 1279 right after the July Recess—clear evidence that there is no substitute for face-to-face contact when your member of Congress is home.

Finally, this success reminds us of the exceptional opportunity before us. Twenty-one new co-sponsors in a month once seemed unreachable, but now the power of our network and message puts loftier numbers within our reach. Why not a month with 25 or 30 new co-sponsors? August and September opportunities present a unique chance for the NAC to take its efforts to a new level.

Can we count on you to make the sacrifice?

August Recess

The August Congressional Recess begins August 6. As the July Recess success proves, you simply cannot afford to miss this month-long opportunity to educate your U.S. Representative on H.R. 1279 and the direct support workforce crisis! Contact your U.S. Representative’s office today to arrange an August meeting and watch for an ANCOR Action Alert on the things you can do in August to get your Representative’s attention.

DSPs to DC

The NAC is working hard to give America’s direct support workforce a voice. But no one can communicate the challenges facing this essential workforce better than the Direct Support Professionals themselves. To that end, ANCOR is organizing a special DSPs to DC event in conjunction with its 2007 Governmental Activities Seminar (GAS). This September 10th and 11th GAS special feature has no registration fee and is open to DSPs, as well as families and self-advocates, who want to show their support for their DSPs. ANCOR members will be responsible for all travel and lodging costs for participating DSPs and the event itinerary includes:

• Attend customized DSP training sessions on Monday afternoon, September 10 at The Washington Court Hotel.
• Special evening reception (with GAS registrants) on Monday evening, at The Washington Court Hotel, featuring entertainment by The Capitol Steps.
• Attend a morning briefing on Tuesday, September 11th at the Holiday Inn on the Hill.
• Box lunches and a joint pre-Hill session and DSP recognition with ANCOR Seminar attendees Tuesday morning, September 11th at the Washington Court Hotel.
• Attend RALLY on Capitol Hill at noon, September 11th.
• Participate in Hill visits the afternoon of Tuesday, September 11th.

To get more information on the DSPs to DC event and lodging options or to register your DSPs, please view the GAS registration form at www.ANCOR.org, http://www.ancor.org/conferences/ 2007_GAS_Brochure.pdf.

ANCOR is committed to bringing a minimum of 100 DSPs to Washington, DC for this important event and there are many reasons for ANCOR members to participate—raising awareness on the issue, raising your organization’s profile on Capitol Hill, building good will with your workforce, internal and external promotional opportunities, etc. Whether you send one DSP or 20 to Washington, it will Make a Difference in telling the story of the workforce crisis. You simply cannot afford to leave your DSPs at home! Register your DSPs today!

If you have any questions about the DSPs to DC event or any NAC activity, please contact our advocacy consultant, Daryn Demeritt, ddemeritt@fieldgoals.net.

June

NAC Central: The Summer Sizzle – Let’s Hit 80!

While many in Washington, DC are making their beach reservations, ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign (NAC) has no plans to rest. As of this writing, the NAC has won support from 40 U.S. Representatives (27 Democrats and 13 Republicans) for H.R. 1279, the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007, an average of 13 new co-sponsors a month since the bill was introduced to the 110th Congress on March 1, 2007.

Thirteen new co-sponsors is a very respectable pace we should all be proud of, but it does not begin to satisfy the NAC’s potential or appetite. We want to DOUBLE the number of National Advocacy co-sponsor’s by the August Congressional Recess.

That’s 80 co-sponsors by August 6, 2007! Are you up to the challenge? ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign needs your support to realize this ambitious, yet very reachable, goal.

How are we going to meet our goal? Together, we need to communicate with every U.S. Representative we can this summer while giving extra attention to our existing champions. Eighty-six U.S. Representatives co-sponsored the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act in the 109th Congress, with 81 of those co-sponsors having returned for the 110th Congress. That’s 81 members of Congress we know are supportive our issue and we all worked very hard to win their support.

Unfortunately, more than 50 of our hard-earned Congressional champions have yet to co-sponsor H.R. 1279 in the current Congress. This does not mean that we’ve lost their support nor does it mean that efforts to regain their co-sponsorship have fallen on deaf ears. It simply means that members of Congress deal with thousands of bills and it sometimes takes a little extra effort to get an issue back on their radar.

Fortunately, if there is such a thing as “low-hanging fruit” in a Congressional advocacy campaign, regaining support from these established workforce champions is it. It could literally take as little as a call to their local office or faxing them a letter to get these champions back on the bill. Don’t miss your chance to make this easy, yet critical, contribution to ANCOR’s National AdvocacyCampaign.

Visit the ANCOR Web site http://www.ancor.org/issues/ shortage/hr1279targets_06-22-07.pdf now to find out if your U.S. Representative is one of the previous Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act co-sponsors who have yet to co-sponsor H.R. 1279.

A New NAC Presence on the Web

ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign has significantly upgraded its presence on the Internet. Visit www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org to get the latest NAC news, read Direct Support Professional stories or contact your U.S. Representative. Monitor www.YouNeedToKnowMe.org for new features and resources in the coming months.

Create Some Fireworks in July

Your U.S. Representative will be home kissing babies and marching in Fourth of July parades during the July Congressional Recess, July 2 to July 6. Don’t miss this opportunity to educate them on the workforce crisis and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 1279. It’s never too late to ask for a 10-minute meeting or make plans to get your U.S. Representative’s ear at a community event. They work for you!

Commit to the September DSPs to DC Event

As chronicled in the May edition of Links, ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign is organizing a significant DSP event on Capitol Hill in concert with ANCOR’s September 9— September 11, 2007 Government Activities Seminar. Participating DSPs will be able to attend a professional development program in the afternoon on Monday, September 10, attend a reception Monday evening and receive some advocacy training the morning of Tuesday, September 11 before heading to Capitol Hill later that day for a rally and meetings with their members of Congress.

ANCOR is committed to bringing a minimum of 100 DSPs to Washington, DC for this important event. There will be no registration fee for participating DSPs, but ANCOR is relying on its members to underwrite travel and lodging costs. Please contact our advocacy consultant, Daryn Demeritt, ddemeritt@fieldgoals.net, to commit to participate. Whether you send one DSP or 20 to Washington, it will Make a Difference!

May

As of May 15, 2007, the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007, H.R. 1279, has garnered 33 co-sponsors (21 Democrats and 12 Republicans) in the United States House of Representatives.  The bill has averaged 13 new co-sponsors a month since its introduction on March 1, 2007, but much work remains to be done to build broader support.  ANCOR and its partners on this legislation – The Arc of the United States, United Cerebral Palsy and Lutheran Services in America – are pressing advocates across the country to contact their U.S. Representative on this bill, with some additional focus on those members who co-sponsored the legislation in the 109th Congress but have not yet signed onto H.R. 1279 in the 110th Congress.

In addition to a press on the House legislation, ANCOR, through a partnership with UCP, has introduced a new video clip on the direct support workforce at www.whowillcare.net.  The clip, the second introduced on the site in recent weeks, features a mother talking about what the direct support workforce has meant to her family.

2009

2008

2007