Writing Homework Help

write a 300-400 word letter to your Member of Congress.

This is a very important exercise designed to help prepare you for advocacy roles you may want to develop.

• Find your Senator (https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm) or House Representative (https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative) Senator Dick Durbin
• Draft a letter to your Senator or House Representative about a current disability issue you care about and feel should be addressed through policy. You can see examples of letters here: https://www.apa.org/advocacy/guide/sample-letters…. You can visit any of the major disability organization’s websites to understand which current issues the disability rights movement is advocating for (some organizations to check out include: https://adapt.org; https://www.aapd.com; https://thearc.org/about-us/ ; https://ncil.org/about/; https://www.ndrn.org; https://dredf.org ; https://tash.org etc.)
• Include the following in your letter:
  • Your address. (1234 West GreenField Ave, Illinois)
  • The legislator’s address
  • Identify yourself as a constituent.
  • Explain the issue or problem you want your Member of Congress to be aware of. Tips: Stick to one issue or problem. State your views, support them with your expert knowledge about disability you have acquired this semester and, when appropriate, cite the bill number of relevant legislation. Rely on the facts, but personalize the issue. Explain how the issue affects your life or the disability community. You can use statistics or personal anecdotes to support your argument.
  • Identify a solution or offer recommendations about how you want the Member to address the issue or problem.
  • Include a clear call to action to the Member (what do you want them to do about the issue or problem? This can include listening to stakeholders on the issue, supporting or opposing specific legislation, etc).
  • Offer to provide additional information if needed, and provide your contact information.
  • Thank the Member of Congress for their attention.