Painting. Textured background that is very rough to the touch, but you can see the grooves. The bottom left of the painting starts dark black and slowly transitions to dark purple and ombre effects into light colors at the top right corner. There is one lotus flower in the center, one to the left, and two to the left in the colors of pink and white. There are abstract blue and green lily pads to complete the aesthetic.
Painting Description: Textured background that is very rough to the touch, but you can see the grooves. The bottom left of the painting starts dark black and slowly transitions to dark purple and hombre effects into light colors at the top right corner. There is one lotus flower in the center, one to the left, and two to the left in the colors of pink and white. There are abstract blue and green lily pads to complete the aesthetic.
Lotus flowers, much like survivors of complex trauma, have learned to thrive in the most adverse of circumstances. These gorgeous specimens have reclaimed the concept of beauty and what it means to grow something lovely from filth, one that has become a beacon of light for my own healing journey. 15 years ago, I found myself caught in my own murky water and found my own way out 2 years later. Much like a lotus flower, I learned to thrive in the unkind world that helped to create the circumstances leading to my exploitation. One of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn during my 13 year recovery journey was to know when it is time to stop reliving the pain and to let myself heal and enjoy life. The voices of all my abusers past have faded as the years passed, and I slowly learned that I am worthy of love, acceptance, and happiness. They were so loud for so many years that even after I broke free from them, I still could not rid myself of their influence. You’re ugly. You are worthless. You will never find anyone else because no one wants to put up with you. You’ll never find a husband. God hates you. Everyone hates you. No one will help you. You don’t deserve to live. I think I was just afraid that if I let my pain go, I wouldn’t know where I came from or the kind of person I would become. I guess I was afraid that I would lose touch with my reality and forget that it even happened. But then it happened after several YEARS re-programming, re-defining, and re-learning what it means to thrive. I let my beautiful petals grow brighter and lovelier through each season of growth so that I could still have a life full of everything I thought I had lost. I decided I was worthy. Like a lotus, I fought through the murk and the mud to get to the light. And then I became my own light.
Charlie’s art is available for purchase at this link.
Charlie Quinn Tebow, LMSW, survivor, artist
Image description: Caucasian non-binary individual with a big smile in front of a brick building wearing my favorite tie-dye shirt. Wild styled short pixie cut blonde hair
Creator Bio: An alumnus of Washburn University with a clinical Masters of Social Work degree, Charlie dedicates their life to serving others like them, CPTSD (chronic post traumatic stress disorder) survivors. Their day job as a social worker and Missing Youth Specialist on the Kansas Special Response Team for Missing and Exploited Youth provides them with opportunities to empower and engage runaway and exploited youth in foster care to overcome complex and compounded trauma, and find the path to who they want to be. Charlie is a dedicated advocate with specializations for persons who have experienced human sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, childhood trauma, interpersonal violence, and other complex or compounded traumas. Charlie is part of the LGBTQ community as a nonbinary person (they/them), and a staunch leader and participant in social justice activism. They are an ally for all trans and/or persons of color, as well as dedicated activist for Black Lives Matter and Trans Lives Matter movements. Charlie is a member of the National Human Trafficking Survivor Network and Survivor Leaders Institute, and has delivered keynote and training sessions to professionals from around the country. Charlie is also an accomplished artist and expert in the healing arts for survivors of complex trauma. Featuring bright colors and textures, their art has been featured in 35 states and sold to patrons from around the globe.
The isolating effects of interpersonal trauma cannot be overstated, especially in a social media-driven society. The technological age presumes that we are always on, available, and connected. Trauma, however, often demands periods of withdrawal, whether because someone is controlling who a survivor is allowed to see and connect with in the current moment or because healing from violence can be a full-time job that doesn’t leave survivors with much capacity to maintain social relationships during intense processing times. Realistically, both of these situations are often when survivors need to be engaged with supportive relationships and community the most. But, as many folks who experience the similar social withdrawal that comes from deep depressive episodes can attest, the longer survivors go without engaging with their relational lifelines, the more impossible it can feel to reconnect. Shame can convince survivors that their family and friends would never understand what they’ve experienced, would blame them for that experience, or wouldn’t be able to help anyway so there is no point in “burdening” them with their pain unnecessarily. Trans and nonbinary survivors may face additional shame and hesitancy around reaching out if they are impacted by dysphoria in social situations; their gender identity or presentation has changed since the last time they connected and they’re worried about the other person’s reaction; they’re afraid that their identity or presentation will be blamed for their pain in ways that invalidate the survivor’s actual experience; or, conversely, people won’t be able to understand the ways that gender is implicated in their struggles for healing.
“The longer survivors go without engaging with their relational lifelines, the more impossible it can feel to reconnect.”
As pernicious and convincing as these shame-based messages can be, they may not be based in truth. Good supports know that trauma isn’t the survivor’s fault and that healing through community and storytelling is possible no matter how tremendous the hurt. It’s commonly estimated that 1:3 of all girls/women and 1:6 of all boys/men will experience sexual assault at some point in their lives. Additionally, at least half of trans and nonbinary people of all genders and none are likely to experience sexual or intimate partner violence at least once over the course of their lives (Williams Institute, 2015). Given these statistics, it’s very likely that survivors’ support systems are made up of people who are survivors themselves and are honored to bear witness to the healing process, no matter how messy, with genuine empathy and resonance. There is incredible power in survivors supporting each other like this, holding what feels unspeakable with courage and understanding until hope returns, because they have already been there and know that it does get better. Even if the survivor has experienced this supportive reaction before, it can be hard to trust that it will be there again through another difficult period. Because of this, I encourage family and friends to do the proactive work of reaching out to the survivor periodically just to remind them that they are thought of (unless doing so would compromise the survivor’s safety in a dangerous relationship). This doesn’t have to be emotionally intensive. Sending cards, memes, songs that remind you of your loved one, or pictures of your pets or garden are all great ways of reaching out.
“Sending cards, memes, songs that remind you of your loved one, or pictures of your pets or garden are all great ways of reaching out.”
It’s important for friends and family members to remember that not hearing back from the survivor doesn’t mean that your attempts to reach out are unappreciated or wasted. As tempting as it may be to give up as calls go unanswered and birthdays pass unacknowledged, it’s vital for supports to remain just that and keep reaching out with things that reconnect the survivor to the world outside of trauma, trauma work, and traumatic social media timelines. If you are a survivor yourself or have experience with depression or other mental illnesses that lead to social withdrawal, it may be helpful to reflect on difficult times when you had trouble reaching out; use those times to ground your commitment to stay compassionately present and available, and ask yourself what would have been most helpful to you during those times to guide you if you feel at a loss and aren’t getting feedback from the survivor. My best friend, Frankie, has developed incredible intuition, based on his own survivor experience, for balancing reaching out to listen or have fun with letting the phone go silent so I can have my own processing space to work through difficult material, especially if I’ve fallen back into old patterns. Being held in that unconditional, deeply empathetic and empathic love has been invaluable for my healing journey. No matter our genders or histories, this kind of loving survivor support space is something that we can all work to cultivate for each other with patience, attunement, and compassion.
To this end, without exhausting yourself (or your loved one!), remind the survivor that they have access to supportive relationships and community, no strings attached. Disclosing your own survivor status is a complicated decision, so know that there are ways of “relating in” to the survivor’s experience that mirror the safe space my best friend Frankie held for me but don’t require you to share your own trauma history if you don’t want to. “Relating in” often works by relating to the feelings the survivor is expressing, even if you can’t (or don’t want to disclose that you can) relate to the experiences that surround the feelings. So, while flashbacks or dissociation may be largely unique to people who have experienced trauma (with notable and valid exceptions!), the feelings of grief, rage, or shame that often accompany them are universal to being a human. Those universal feelings are the foundations that “relating in” builds bridges on. When you relate in, you remain conscientious of steering clear of Oppression Olympics, putting the survivor in a caretaking role for your feelings or dominating their feelings with your own story, and taking any liberties to analogize the survivor’s experience with your own. Instead, it might be helpful to take a more empathy and agency-centered approach. Compassionate phrases like these can be a good place to start, but always feel free to play around and make your own: “No wonder this is so hard for you. I had a hard time too when…”
“I’ve never been in your shoes, but I know what grief feels like in my body and…”
“What you’re sharing is making me think of something in my own life. Do you mind if I share it with you, or would you rather keep talking about your experience?”
“I’ve experienced a lot of rage before, too. Let me know if you ever want to talk about some skills that worked for me over the years while I learned to cope with it- reinventing the wheel is no fun!”
“Remember the cousin I told you about? Ze went through something similar. Supporting hir helped me understand that… is that true to your experience?”
“’Relating in’ often works by relating to the feelings the survivor is expressing, even if you can’t (or don’t want to disclose that you can) relate to the experiences that surround the feelings.”
In general, the same guiding principles apply for supportive family and friends who are also survivors and decide to disclose their trauma histories as part of relating to their loved one. In this case, however, making three additional points becomes necessary: First, the most important step to any disclosure is getting consent from the other survivor before sharing your experience, just like it’s important to be asked for consent before a loved one shares their story with you. Without consent, even well-meaning disclosures and storytelling can be another form of violence for people who are already in distress and are looking for support but are asked to hold another burden as a perceived condition of receiving it. If it is not a good time for either of you to receive or offer disclosures, you can continue “relating in” with each other without talking about your own trauma histories until/unless that changes.
“The most important step to any disclosure is getting consent from the other survivor before sharing your experience, just like it’s important to be asked for consent before a loved one shares their story with you.”
Second, tact and thoughtful boundaries become even more important in disclosure situations to mitigate the likelihood that the survivor receiving support feels triggered rather than helped by the disclosure or the conversation devolves into an unhelpful exchange of “war stories” that do little except reopen and display painful wounds. Using the compassionate responses outlined above as a guide can be helpful in keeping disclosures healthy and helpful for all involved, as can taking temperature checks about how the survivor feels surrounding the disclosure and if they need any extra support while processing that information. Prior to making a disclosure, friends and family might benefit from checking in with themselves about what they feel is safe and useful to disclose, versus what material may be relevant but is still too raw to be emotionally safe to share in a support role at this time. Generally, if the disclosure doesn’t check both boxes of being safe and useful to everyone involved, it should probably wait to be shared elsewhere or at a later time.
“Generally, if the disclosure doesn’t check both boxes of being safe and useful to everyone involved, it should probably wait to be shared elsewhere or at a later time.”
Beyond relating in and potentially offering empathy through your own disclosure, it could help the survivor feel safer to reach out if you articulate clearly what kind of support you are/are not able to provide so that they don’t have to worry about “burdening” you- they already know what would make you feel good to be able to help them with in their healing. For example, some friends might be thrilled to receive 3 A.M. phone calls or urgent needs for rides while others have a strict 10 P.M. bedtime but would be delighted to help pick up meds or give transportation to therapy on Fridays. Some supports would be honored to help carry the story of the survivor’s traumatic experience while others are better suited for distraction, humor, and restorative fun. So often support can feel ephemeral and nebulous when it comes time to actually ask for it. You may want to consider a homemade version of FORGE’s “I’m Here for You” cards which can list out things a supportive friend/family member is able to provide and empower the survivor to more easily ask for what they need, in addition to ordering the ready-made ones FORGE designed. The cards are fully adaptable to life under COVID restrictions and affirm that no matter their skills and resources, every person in a survivor’s support system is a vital, healing link with something meaningful to offer. Want a stack for the survivors in your life? Fill out this order form and get as many as you need for free! Articulating what support you can provide can help the survivor feel confident in their decision to contact you when they are ready to reach out. Once the cards are filled out, it can be helpful to organize the support system in what Mia Mingus calls a “Pod Map.” This is another hands-on tool for mapping out communities of support, accountability, and resilience so that everyone’s gifts and unique relationship dynamics can be tapped into in the most affirming ways possible.
“Articulate clearly what kind of support you are/are not able to provide.”
The value of patience cannot be overstated when supporting a loved one through difficult seasons of healing. Certainly, it is crucial to be patient with the survivor themselves while they navigate common feelings of shame, doubt, anger, and profound grief as part of the process of healing from sexual or intimate partner violence. These feelings often come in waves and their pattern, just like all of healing, is not linear. As discussed in this post for survivors, experiencing increased traumatic intrusions is often actually a sign of how much progress the survivor is making after trauma; they mean the nervous system is recognizing that it’s safe to process material that was previously off limits due to lack of safety and stability. From the outside, though, an uptick in these symptoms can easily concern family and friends that the survivor is backtracking or needs to be taking a different approach to healing. Patience and self-education about how trauma is released on a neurobiological level (Dr. Peter Levine’s excellent book for laypeople, Waking The Tiger (1997) offers an overview on this complicated and evolving field of study) can help prevent well-meaning conflicts with the survivor. These rifts are common when family and friends misdirect empathy for the hurt the survivor is (re)experiencing into nonconsensual suggestions, criticisms, or pressures to heal in any way other than what the body and mind naturally need, a need which may be beyond the survivor’s ability to articulate. Family and friends who are survivors themselves may fall into comparison traps and pressure their loved one’s journey to look more like their own, while folks who aren’t survivors are more vulnerable to underestimating how difficult healing actually is. When family and friends educate themselves about how traumatic material is stored and processed in the body and mind, they become better equipped to support the survivor with compassion and reliability through the vicissitudes of the healing journey. Because this is an evolving field of study, there is always new learning available even for people who are the experts of their own survivor experience. Educated supports can also become allies in challenging messages of shame, self-blame, and pressure to heal better/faster because they’ll be equipped with the research to show the survivor that where they are is exactly where they’re supposed to be and it does get better, it just can’t be rushed. As Oprah writes in her new book collaboration with renowned psychiatrist Bruce D Perry (What Happened To You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing) “What you’re really looking for is somebody to reinforce the idea that Hey, I’m not crazy. I’m thinking or feeling this way because of something that happened to me, and I’m having a reasonable reaction. And that person validates that for you.” (2021, p. 115). When supports come from a place of understanding how trauma works, the validation we offer each other can be all the more grounding and compassionate because it can clarify what otherwise may be unsettling healing patterns that shake up the bodymind.
“No matter their skills and resources, every person in a survivor’s support system is a vital, healing link with something meaningful to offer.”
Patience and self-education doesn’t just apply to supporting the survivor, however! It’s often necessary for friends and family to cultivate compassion and insight for their own process in coping with their loved one’s healing journey. While many resources focus on how to support the survivor, as a loved one, it’s key to engage in your own self care, too. These are valuable practices for all human beings to commit to, but are especially important for folks who are confronting trauma even if the trauma did not affect them directly. This is especially true for support people who are also survivors. FORGE’s comprehensive “Guide for Partners and Loved Ones of Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors” is essential reading for all support systems; in addition to unpacking what trauma is and how trans and nonbinary folks may be uniquely affected, the Guide also provides extensive resources aimed at preventing secondary traumatization, with special considerations for family and friends who are survivors themselves. We know that secondary trauma can cause the same activated nervous system and fight/flight/freeze/appease response as if one had undergone the trauma itself. As the guide explores in depth, family and friends can reduce their likelihood of developing secondary trauma while supporting a loved one through their healing journey by practicing regular, holistic self-care; staying engaged in activities that foster resilience, which could look as diverse as Improv Theater, connecting with a harm reduction or 12 Step community, playing kickball with your neighbors, or community service; having dedicated space to engage in storytelling in healing relationship, whether it be with a therapist, spiritual mentor, or family and friends support group; and, setting and keeping boundaries around how much exposure to trauma and trauma work is healthy for you so that you don’t become flooded or made responsible for someone else’s healing. These boundaries are often helpful to extend to social media, which can seem to overflow with people posting about their traumas and their effects for constant consumption. As someone involved in directly supporting a loved one through their healing journey, one of the kindest and most responsible things you can do is ask yourself how many of these other stories you realistically can/want to hold, and then keep that limit.
“It’s often necessary for friends and family to cultivate compassion and insight for their own process in coping with their loved one’s healing journey.”
Relationships are key to the healing process. By practicing skills like relating in, offering compassionate and consensual disclosures, sending cards or silly memes, being committed to self and community education, and practicing self care, family members, friends, partners, and other loved ones can play invaluable supportive roles in survivors’ healing processes, while maintaining their own healing if they are a survivor themselves. The pandemic may have made it clearer than ever how much people need each other, and tools like FORGE’s “I’m Here for You” cards and “Guide for Partners and Loved Ones” exist to model what supportive, resilient, empowered community can look like for survivors and loved ones so that it’s not so much of a guessing game. Do you have other tools and tips that have worked for you and your loved ones? Feel free to join the conversation online by connecting with us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Bio: Tristen Taggart is an agender antiviolence activist pursuing their Bachelor’s Degree in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Tristen joined FORGE as a Policy and Programming Intern in 2018 and now works as the Disability and Youth Trauma Specialist. Tristen is a queer survivor, community activist, scholar, and direct-support volunteer with an evolving focus on the intersections and divergences of queer survivorship, disability justice, and abolition in the lives of young people. They are thrilled to bring their passion and curiosity to FORGE from their hometown in Richmond, Virginia.
Voice of Healing: Trans and Nonbinary Survivors SPEAK OUT is an exciting collaborative project being launched by the survivor- and resilience-focused organizations FORGE and MenHealing.
Voices of Healing: Trans & Non-binary Survivors SPEAK OUT is a collaborative effort between FORGE and MenHealing designed to support, uplift, and foster the resilience of trans and non-binary** survivors of sexual victimization*** (SV).
The project focuses on using creative expression — words, movement, art — to empower trans survivors to share their story, connect with others, and enhance healing for both themselves and the broader community.
Please visit the project website for information about the project and an application to join!
If you enjoy the following excerpt, you can purchase the full novel on Amazon. Thank you.
“Mr. Chair . . . Mr. Vice-Chair . . . if I may . . .” Jonah methodically asks as a statement, since he’s about to address the board and the membership, ready-or-not. “–Excuse me, Jonah Penzik, advocate, professor, Disability Action Network board member, and a person with a disability . . . I hear what you both have been saying, Lester, Jonathan . . . and, I know I’ve missed the last meeting or two here, so please forgive me if I’ve missed some key things while I’ve been gone. But, what I’m hearing, is that the Disability Action Network is having meetings with the Civil Relations Commission, and Public Works, and even trying to do so with the state Civil Rights Commission. And maybe talking is good, or can be good, with what’s going on, I don’t know, since I haven’t been able to be at the last meeting, like I said. But, what I do know is that–Jonathan: I, myself, have been a Chair of the Civil Relations Commission, back in the 1980s, when there was just an Anti-Discrimination Panel of Commissioners. And, what I learned at that time, was that sometimes, all the talk in the world may sound like things are good, sound like things are going somewhere, and everyone gets their assignments from the meeting, or their promises are made to everyone, or there’s a commitment to change . . . and then, they all meet again for the next meeting (!).”
Jonah rears up some in his seat, breaking no stride. Same with me on my notes.
“What I propose, Mr. Chair, Mr. Vice-Chair . . . Disability Action Network membership . . . what I propose is, is that this coalition retain an attorney, or maybe even a team of attorneys, and, quite frankly, if nothing is being done, substantive, as it sounds like to me, then, we sue the bastards (!). As many of you know, I was a lead Complainant in the 1970s in one of the first lawsuits filed under the Rehabilitation Act against the federal government, back when the federal government was discriminating against us, as people with disabilities. And this was long beforethe ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, before the ADA was passed, through our efforts to lobby Congress, when we got out of our wheelchairs, when we got on our hands and knees, and we climbed the steps of every god damn federal building in Washington, to make our point, that people with disabilities have rights. We have rights, we are people who are discriminated against, just like our other brothers and sisters who’ve been oppressed throughout recent history in this country, based on their race . . . their color . . . their religion . . . their labor exploitation. People with disabilities, we’re looked on like garbage–pardon my language, but it’s the truth, and we have to empower ourselves first. And when those agencies, like the ones that–excuse me here, Alex–Alex here, he works for the Civil Relations Commission, and the other agencies like the state Civil Rights Commission, the Mayor’s office, Public Works . . . when they don’t do their jobs, then you sue them, too!” Jonah pauses. “Now, I know we, as a Network, have limited resources, and at this point, not to be offensive to anyone, but I don’t know how viable we are as a coalition, to engage in litigation, to force these do-nothing agencies to make these changes. Jonathan already spoke about the lawsuit in the public accommodations case, the Bar & Grille, that treated George like crap, and action was taken, and through the courts, not through talking. We as a coalition have to decide where the best course of meaningful action is to be taken, and the whole time that we talk, in meetings with the Civil Relations Commission, and here at these monthly board membership meetings, the streets: they are crumbling. And literally: they’re falling apart, and here, we–I advise us, Mr. Chair, to go ahead and make the enforcement efforts. Public Works is not gonna do it. The Mayor’s office is not gonna do it. The Civil RelationsCommission is not gonna do it. We know that, because we’ve talked, and we’ve asked, and we’ve begged, and nothing gets done. And this is nothing against Alex, we all know he’s committed to do his work, we hear him at these meetings, and efforts. But he’s beholden to the Mayor. Just as Brenda is, and Civil Relations Commission staff. And, Jonathan, you’re appointed by the Mayor to be on the Commission Advocacy Board. And of course, Public Works, they’re also city government . . . and the state Civil Rights Commission is beholden to the Governor–and don’t get me started on him–and these politicians work together, states and cities. It may be time to file with the federal government, and stop the banging of our heads against this Mayor’s wall. So . . . that’s what I wanted to say here, tonight. Mr. Chair.”
I’m furiously note-taking.
“Well, Jonah,” Jonathan slightly-laughs, “just because I’m on a Mayor-appointed board doesn’t mean that I advocate for us any less. There definitely is the role of enforcement, and, as you and anyone should know about me, I’m an attorney, I work directly with the courts, and litigation can certainly work in some instances. The problem with the courts, and with the administrative law processes, as you know, is that it can take years to get a judgment on a case, and by that time, all the original players are gone, moved on, moved out of state, or, in some cases, have even died,” Jonathan continues with a slight laugh, “before someone can even think about getting the remedy for the damages they’ve incurred. I know talk can be cheap, or can be viewed as cheap, but at least a few of the issues we used to talk about here at these meetings have been addressed. And some for the better, just by open lines of communication with the respective agencies and their directors. And that includes with the Mayor’s deputies, or at least a few of them . . .”
Mason rocks back and forth with his body wildly in his motorized wheelchair . . .
About the Author: Nick Valenzuela
Photo description: main with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a white shirt
“A Los Angeles native who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, Nick Valenzuela worked a 20+ year career investigating housing discrimination complaints for non-profit fair housing advocacy & municipal government enforcement agencies, and all in tandem with the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development. He’s fully-investigated several hundred housing discrimination & hate crime complaints; coordinated thousands of systemic & complaint-based rental, sales, mortgage lending, and insurance tests in auditing the housing industry; and, navigated administrative hearings, state & federal court litigation (including benchmark 6th Circuit Court of Appeals cases reaching the threshold of the United States Supreme Court), and conciliation / negotiated settlement agreements in order to resolve discrimination cases.
In addition, Nick worked as a Building Commissioner and a Senior Planner for municipal governments in central Indiana. In 2018 he published his debut novel, Lack of Appeal, a quasi-memoir of literature based on his experiences in discrimination investigation.”Nick graduated from HUD’s five-week National Fair Housing Training Academy as a certified fair housing investigator (the highest certification in the field) and has a liberal arts degree from the old Bellarmine College. He’s married to the county library director where they live in Indiana, and he constantly vows to read more books.“
Nick is also a person with a physical disability: specifically, I have musculoskeletal spinal disorders significantly impairing more than one major life function.
Many people with disabilities want to see changes in their communities. However, running for office to enact those changes can seem like a daunting task in a society with so many barriers. But people with disabilities can make a positive impact by getting involved in politics. And with resources from advocacy organizations like Indiana Disability Justice, running for office and winning is entirely possible! If you’re interested in launching your own campaign, follow these steps to turn your dream of running for office into reality.
Register for the Ballot
First, you’ll need to research ballot access rules for candidates in your state. Each state has its own rules, and you’ll have to meet every requirement and submit all of the necessary paperwork to earn a spot on the ballot. Once you’ve taken care of these tasks, it’s time to assemble your team!
Choose Your Team
You can’t run your campaign entirely on your own – you need a great team around you! Even if you have a limited budget, Aristotle recommends hiring a fundraiser, a campaign treasurer or accountant, and a voter contact manager at a minimum. You could also consider bringing a campaign consultant or digital marketing expert on board.
Before choosing your team, you’ll want to establish an organized system so that you can keep track of staff productivity and even pay them easily. Choosing platforms that manage field personnel effectively through GPS mapping can give you better visibility of their activities on the campaign trail, which, in turn, makes it easier to schedule staff movements and shuffle tasks when needed.
Finalize Your Platform
You might have vague ideas for key policy items in your platform, but now is the time to stamp out the details. By conducting research on local voters’ positions and concerns, you’ll be able to determine which issues are most important to the people in your community. This will help you polish your platform and decide which policy proposals to highlight in your advertising strategy.
Promote Your Campaign Online
Today, political campaigning has gone digital. While print, TV, and radio advertising still matter, campaigning online is a low-cost option that will expand your reach. You’ll need to build a campaign website, set up social media accounts for your campaign, send out an email newsletter with campaign updates, and invest in paid advertising across popular social media platforms. You can also use social media to network with organizations that fight for disability justice and let them know about your campaign!
Plan Accessible Campaign Events
You can move forward with a variety of fundraising methods, but fundraising events will allow you to spend time with your potential future constituents face-to-face. Get in touch with venues in advance to discuss your necessary accommodations. And to ensure your events are accessible for all who wish to attend, EventMB recommends planning for ease of movement, providing appropriate signage and interpreters for those who are visually impaired or deaf, and making sure that service animals can accompany their owners.
At events, you can form real connections with your voters. While it is not a requirement, you can even share your story of living with a disability and how it has informed your political views and overall campaign platform.
Today, the voices of people with disabilities are needed to influence change. By getting involved with the political process, people with disabilities can shift policy and transform society for the better. With these tips, you’ll be well prepared to get your own campaign off the ground!
Are you looking to connect with other people with disabilities or find supportive resources? Indiana Disability Justice is working for education, policy change, and advocacy. Subscribe for email updates through our website today!
Ed Carter has worked with clients of all ages, backgrounds and incomes. About 10 years into his career, he saw a need for financial planners who specialize in helping individuals and families living with disabilities. www.ablefutures.org
