This page is dedicated to the civic engagement of individuals with disabilities and providing a more in depth look at promoting their quality of life. We acknowledge that an individual with a disability can advocate for issues outside of disability rights as well, but we will not be addressing that here.
What is Civic Engagement?
Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes. – Preface, page vi
A morally and civically responsible individual recognizes himself or herself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly his or her own; such an individual is willing to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues, to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, and to take action when appropriate. -Introduction, page xxvi
Excerpts from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000.
What does it look like?
The definition of civic engagement, or civic participation, is quite vague. We can break it down based on political and non-political processes. For example, the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990 gave individuals with disabilities individualized education plans (IEPs) and free and appropriate public education (FAPE). This would be considered a political process. Calling legislators and voting for representatives are also political processes. Volunteering in the community, however, is a prime example of civic engagement through a non-political process.
We strongly suggest you read this research paper titled “Civic Engagement and People with Disabilities: The Role of Advocacy and Technology” from the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (JCES). This page is quite lengthy, but it is very thorough on how advocacy and technology can advance the rights of the disability community. Below, you can find a few local resources inspired by the ideas and examples mentioned in the article. Visit our community directory for a more expansive list of local resources.
Assistive Technology
Check out our Assistive Technology Lending Library (ATLL) for items. Also, look through our expansive community directory — Click here to be taken directly to our assistive technology directory.
Voting
www.votespa.com — Visit the PA government site dedicated to voting to learn more about accessible voting and to register to vote.
Lobbying
Use this link to find information regarding your local PA legislator such as their contact information and which committees they serve on. Here are some potential ideas to consider when calling them and voicing your opinions:
- Better enforcement of federal mandates, or additional funding. Check out this link from the HIE Help Center for the three main ones.
- Long waiting lists for government programs, such as Vocational Rehabilitation or Medicaid Waivers
- Increasing inclusivity of individuals with disabilities in the policy making process
- High costs of assistive technology
Volunteering
This is a great opportunity to directly give back to the community. Additionally, volunteering covers a broad area and many different fields, so the opportunities to volunteer in the community are plentiful. We recommend reading this article titled “Where can I volunteer if I’m handicapped?” from HowStuffWorks. It provides insight into one of the biggest questions regarding volunteering–where–and has additional links at the bottom to help you figure out how to volunteer once you have decided on an area to focus your efforts.
