Who Represents Me?

• Congress: One Representative based on your address. Two Senators cover the entire state. Find them here. 
• State Legislature: One State Senator and one State Representative based on your address. Find them here.  

What Is Advocacy and Why Is It Important?

• Using your voice to influence and educate.
• Sharing your stories & lived experiences to make change.
• Advocacy helps lawmakers to prioritize. You can educate them about the issues that are important to you, which can impact funding, needed policy changes, and access to services.
• Lawmakers represent you — and they want to hear from you! By communicating your ideas, thoughts, concerns, and opinions, you are helping them to do their job effectively.

Where Can I Advocate?

• Action Alerts are a great tool. By signing up, we will send you an email or text alert when action is needed. Then, you can simply fill out a form and a message will be sent to your elected official. You can also always add in a personalized note to that message. Tell them why the issue matters to you, or your personal experience with the issue!
• You can also call or email your Congressional and State lawmakers. You can find the contact information for your Congressional representatives here and your State lawmakers here.
• Your elected officials live in your community. Many of them hold district office hours and take meetings in the district. Reach out to schedule an in-person or Zoom meeting in your town.
• In Massachusetts, all bills have a public hearing where individuals can provide written or verbal testimony. This is a great way to focus on a particular bill that is important to you, and share your thoughts directly to Committee members. Learn more about providing testimony here.
• Join The Arc at the State House!

When Do I Advocate?

• The legislative process can be long and advocacy is needed throughout. Our action alerts are a great way to stay informed and know when to act.
• On our website, we also include detailed information about the state legislative process and the state budget process. Have a question about where a specific bill or issue is in the process? Reach out!

How Do I Advocate Effectively?

• Advocacy is all about storytelling. Share your story as a way to illustrate the importance of issues.
• Build a relationship. Introduce yourself, sign up for their newsletter, attend their office hours, follow them on social media, and advocate frequently!
• Work closely with organizations like The Arc. With your stories and lived experiences and our tools, we are more effective together!

Getting Started with Advocacy (PDF)

Guide for Submitting Testimony (PDF)

Storytelling Guide (PDF)

Intro to Federal
& State Advocacy
(On Demand Webinar)

Advocacy Trainings

Our Government Affairs team has been conducting advocacy trainings across the state, training hundreds of self-advocates, family members, and professionals in the field. Advocacy at the federal and state level is more critical than ever. This training is an opportunity to learn the current landscape and gain advocacy tools to make everyone an effective advocate.

Interested in organizing a training for your network? Email nbent@arcmass.org

Government Affairs Committee 

Want to get more involved?

The Arc of Massachusetts’ Government Affairs Committee is comprised of self-advocates, family members, and representatives from each of The Arc’s chapters. We meet monthly to discuss legislative priorities, policy issues, and more.

If you are interested in joining the Government Affairs Committee, please email Charlie Fiske at fiske@arcmass.org.