Fifty million - that's the number people in the United States facing some type of physical, emotional, cognitive or developmental disability. That's a huge portion of the population, and when they head to the polls next month for the state primary, they may not know which candidates best represent their values.
That's where the Whole Person comes in. The nonprofit is using the REV-UP campaign - which stands for Register, Educate, Vote and Use Your Power - to help people with disabilities and disability rights advocates better understand where the candidates for Missouri governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state stand on issues that affect the everyday lives of people with dualities.
"National candidates control funding for centers like ours," said the Whole Person's public policy specialist, Karen Gridley. "State candidates control funding for programs we serve such as our consumer-directed service program and our employment programs, so it's really important if people want to stay in their community to be able to know who is going to support them in that effort."
While the Whole Person works year-round, this week the organization has ramped up its efforts as part National Disability Voter Registration Week.
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