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My name is Jason Leder, channel manager for the Politics & Advocacy section at www.wemedia.com After providing extensive coverage of both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, WeMedia introduces its newest initiative - Access the Vote: WeMedia is writing to the leaders in the disability community to ask you to help us reach out to the community in an effort to increase voter participation in this critical election year. Recognizing that many national, state and local organizations of, by and for people with disabilities have launched excellent get-out-the-vote efforts, WeMedia has developed additional resources to advance our collective goals. Our new initiative is called "Access the Vote" and can be found at wemedia.com. Through the Access the Vote initiative, WeMedia has simplified voter registration, absentee ballot requests, contact with the candidates, and transportation to the polls, which is accomplished through an extensive database of contact information for multi-party state headquarters. The Access the Vote initiative is supported by a national TV and print advertising campaign, including WeMedia magazine and other top disability and congressional publications. WeMedia and Frank Bowe, long-time disability rights advocate, urge you to encourage the community to Access the Vote. As you know, there is very little time left. The deadlines to register to vote and request absentee ballots in most states are upon us. Therefore, we ask that you please use the attached one-page overview to fax, e-mail and inform our community about Access the Vote. It is a very real possibility that people with disabilities could lose hard won legislative victories if we do not spread the word and get-out-the-vote. WeMedia supports the many other excellent initiatives with shared goals such as the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) Vote! 2000 Campaign (www.nod.org/vote2000/vote2000.html) and the newly formed Americans with Disabilities for Democracy (ADD) (www.americaforall.org). We have reached out to and continue to invite all of these dynamic organizations and creative initiatives and others to share resources, join forces and work together. As a significant political constituency with the power to help a candidate win an election, citizens with disabilities, family members, colleagues, and others concerned about equality for Americans with disabilities must make their interests known to candidates. Hopeful elected officials pay close attention to, and long remember, voters who reach out during campaigns. Bowe states, "It's urgent that people with disabilities become visible to the various political campaigns. I can tell you from personal, first-hand experience with U.S. Senators, U.S. Congress people, and top presidential aides that contacts made by 'real people' during election campaigns are in the 'unforgettable' column. They make an impact! People remember them. The first time I saw this in action was when Jimmy Carter heard from voter after voter about alleged rip-offs of Social Security Income (SSI) during the 1976 campaign. Those comments made a lasting impression. No sooner had he appointed Joe Califano as his new Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare than he told Joe to look into SSI issues. Joe told me this one-week after taking office, in January 1977. I've seen it again and again and again." If, and only if, our community makes its desires and needs known during this election year, it will translate into positive change efforts in the years to come. Our disability constituency is too diverse to be a single-issue voting bloc. Just by voting our consciences, we can improve the lives of all Americans with disabilities and their families, friends, and colleagues. For all these reasons, WeMedia has launched our nonpartisan Access the Vote initiative and invites everyone to join us to Access the Vote. For more information and to share resources, please contact Jason Leder, channel manager for the Politics & Advocacy section at www.wemedia.com Jason can be reached at (646) 769-2814, at TTY (212) 375-6235 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]