Script for emailing state attorneys general in support of Section 504
Created by Cindy Baldwin—contact cindybaldwinbooks@gmail.com with questions or feedback.
I’ve included two scripts below that can be used to call or email your state attorney general. The first is for residents of the 17 states involved in the lawsuit. The second is for states with attorneys general who are not currently involved in the lawsuit.
For a state involved in the lawsuit against the 504 rule:
Dear {Name},
My name is {Name} and I am contacting you today to ask you to please drop your lawsuit against Section 504, the federal rule that requires institutions that receive federal funding to give equal access to disabled Americans. Getting rid of 504 would undo half a century of disability rights. Without 504, it would be legal for institutions to:
- Deny education to disabled people in public schools, or require them to attend segregated schools for disabled students only
- Deny disabled students protections like the ability to access medication during school hours, the opportunity to make up work if they must miss school for illness or hospitalizations, the ability to access things like additional bathroom breaks, and more
- Deny accessible medical care to people with disabilities
- Deny medical care to people with disabilities during a triage situation, such as the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic—this could result in situations like a disabled person being removed from a ventilator and allowed to die because their “quality of life” is considered lower than an able-bodied person
- Deny housing to people with disabilities and force disabled people into institutions against their will
Section 504 is important to me because {Personal connection}. Please protect the disabled citizens in your state by dropping your lawsuit against Section 504.
Sincerely,
{Name}
{Your Address}
For a state not involved in the lawsuit:
Dear {Name},
My name is {Name} and I am contacting you today to ask you to please join in the fight to protect Section 504, the federal rule that requires institutions that receive federal funding to give equal access to disabled Americans. At this time, 17 states have joined a lawsuit aimed at completely undoing the 504 rule. Getting rid of 504 would undo half a century of disability rights. Without 504, it would be legal for institutions to:
- Deny education to disabled people in public schools, or require them to attend segregated schools for disabled students only
- Deny disabled students protections like the ability to access medication during school hours, the opportunity to make up work if they must miss school for illness or hospitalizations, the ability to access things like additional bathroom breaks, and more
- Deny accessible medical care to people with disabilities
- Deny medical care to people with disabilities during a triage situation, such as the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic—this could result in situations like a disabled person being removed from a ventilator and allowed to die because their “quality of life” is considered lower than an able-bodied person
- Deny housing to people with disabilities and force disabled people into institutions against their will
Section 504 is important to me because {Personal connection}. Please join the fight to protect Section 504 by filing an amicus brief in support of the rule. Please also consider joining the lawsuit as a defendant to protect Section 504 from attack.
Sincerely,
{Name}
{Your Address}