Information About NCIL’s Hybrid Hill Day!
This year, NCIL’s Annual Hill Day will be on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Since this year’s Annual Conference will be hybrid, we wanted to provide some information to help prepare you for this year’s Virtual Hill Day.
Legislation and Advocacy (L&A) Briefing
The date and time of NCIL’s Annual L&A Briefing will be announced shortly. At this briefing, the Chairs of key NCIL L&A Subcommittees will discuss NCIL’s legislative priorities. They will also provide talking points to prepare you for your (virtual or in-person) Hill meetings. This briefing will be archived and available afterwards, along with NCIL’s updated Legislative & Advocacy Priorities Guide. Stay tuned for more information about the annual L&A Briefing, including registration information.
Hybrid March & Rally
This year, NCIL will be holding a hybrid March & Rally on Wednesday, July 27. We will have a virtual portion featuring a fantastic line-up of messages from Members of Congress and a smaller in-person portion at the hotel that will feature live speeches from members of our community to inform and energize you before your Hill visits! ASL interpretation and CART will be provided.
If you are attending the Conference virtually, you can make a homemade sign with your message on it and send us a picture! You can use anything from poster board to a sheet of paper to an app on your phone. Just make sure any text is bold so we can read the message! Send your photo to [email protected] with a short description (try to keep it to 30 words or less). We will have a page on the NCIL Conference website dedicated to showing off the Virtual Rally photos we receive.
If you are attending the Conference in-person, NCIL will provide Do-It-Yourself sign kits with poster board and non-toxic paint markers so you can make a sign with your message for the in-person Rally at the Hyatt! A photographer will be present to document the experience.
Planning for your Virtual Hill Visits
Part of each Annual Hill Day is the Hill Visits. These are meetings with the Senators and Representative in Congress who represent you. A key part of any successful Hill Visit is planning ahead – and this is equally important whether you’re participating in the Conference virtually or in DC!
If you’re participating in the NCIL Conference in DC: We recommend you contact your Senators and Representative as soon as possible to schedule your meetings. When you request a meeting, tell the scheduler you are calling to schedule a meeting as part of NCIL’s Hill Day to advocate for disability rights and Independent Living. This way, they will make sure to schedule you with the right person. Some Members of Congress are meeting with their constituents in person, and many are still meeting virtually. Make sure to discuss what type of meeting you are setting up. If you need accommodations for your meeting, these should be made directly to the Congressional office.
If you’re participating in the NCIL Conference virtually: We recommend you contact your Senators and Representative as soon as possible to schedule your meetings. When you request a meeting, tell the scheduler you are calling to schedule a virtual meeting as part of NCIL’s Hill Day to advocate for disability rights and Independent Living. This way, they will make sure to schedule you with the right person. If you need accommodations for your meeting, these should be made directly to the Congressional office.
Remember:
- Virtual Hill Visits can be a call, a Zoom meeting, or another meeting format.
- Try to schedule your meetings on July 27.
- Requests for accommodations should be made directly to the Congressional office.
- Please note: you do not have to attend the conference to participate in NCIL’s Virtual Hill Day, and you are welcome to have others join you!
How to contact your Members of Congress: