L'Arche GWDC
April 20, 2017
On April 5th, John, Fritz, Sarah, Laurie, and Eva-Elizabeth joined over 300 other advocates from around the country to participate in the Buddy Walk on Washington, an annual advocacy conference facilitated by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS).
Throughout the day, self-advocates, their families, friends, and others within the Down Syndrome community met with Senators and Congressmen/women to share about legislative priorities that have an impact on access to resources, education, healthcare, and other aspects of daily life.
Our group started the day with an excited selfie at Highland house. Then took time to reconnect with a former assistant now working in the Senate, shared our stories with members of Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Mark Warner’s offices, sat down with Representative Don Beyer to talk about how our lives are affected by decisions made on the Hill, and ended the afternoon by celebrating a day spent making sure our voices and the voices of others were heard.
A lot of the focus of our conversations and asks over the years has been on the ABLE Act and additions to it along with the importance Medicaid funding. To learn more, go here.
