I hope you are all taking care of yourselves in these extremely stressful times. Today, I wanted to share an update on Disability Victory’s mission and future. We are living in a time and a country when disabled people’s very existence is under threat. This threat is even more severe for our disability community members who are queer and trans, racially marginalized, and immigrants. Disability Victory continues to be committed to supporting disabled progressive leaders who are fighting back to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities. This has not been an easy battle. 

This week, the American Bar Association highlighted our Co-Founder and Vice President Neal Carter in their Disability Activist Spotlight Series. In his profile, Neal shares why he co-created Disability Victory, his perspectives on disabled leadership, and how Disability Victory works to support disabled progressive leaders and educate our partners on campaign accessibility and disability inclusion.

Reflecting on his work, Neal shares, “One of my greatest accomplishments includes helping to elect leaders who will make an immediate impact on the communities that they represent. I am a believer in a representative democracy that helps to elect leaders who share the lived experiences of the communities they represent.”

Today, Disability Victory is releasing the results of its 2025 Disabled Progressive Priorities Survey. This survey captured disabled progressives’ perspectives on the current political situation and gave us insight into how disabled leaders are mobilizing to fight for their communities.

For too many consecutive cycles, the Democratic National Committee and state parties' commitment to accessibility and disability rights has fallen short. In 2025 and beyond, that must change.

In the aftermath of the 2024 election, Disability Victory’s Co-Founder and Co-Director Sarah Blahovec joined Disability Philanthropy Forum’s Disability Inclusion: Required Podcast to talk about disability organizing under a 2nd Trump administration, global disability solidarity, and how funders can support the work of organizations like Disability Victory to empower disabled leadership.

Here at Disability Victory, we are processing the outcome of the 2024 election and what it means for disabled people in the United States. Every issue is a disability issue–and right now, many of us are fearful of what this means for our community’s access to health care and education, preservation of our civil rights, and ability to survive. 

We are we are the only known organization in the entire world with a mission of encouraging and empowering more disabled people to run for elected office or staff campaigns.

Disability Victory has endorsed the Time Off to Vote Act, which would provide paid leave for voters to use to vote at their polling place, return a mail-in ballot, or perform other voting-related activities.

Disability Victory applauds the reintroduction of the Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act, the AID Local Government Leadership Act, and the Accessible Voting Act.

This week, our Co-Founders Neal Carter and Sarah Blahovec joined Disability Rights Florida’s “You First” podcast to talk about disability-inclusive campaigning, strategies to reach disabled voters, and the significance of accessible elections.

Co-Founder Sarah Blahovec wrote a guest article for Barbara Lee Family Foundation’s Gender on the Ballot Blog about how Disability Victory is creating space for disabled political leaders.

We’re honored to be featured alongside New Disabled South in Nonprofit Quarterly’s piece on building the political power of disabled Americans.

Upper East Site’s Nora Wesson spoke to Disability Victory Secretary Rebecca Lamorte ahead of our November 20th workshop, “Crafting a Campaign and Policies Rooted in Disability Rights.” Rebecca spoke about her 2021 run for New York City Council and how her disability shapes her interactions with politics.

Last week, our co-Founder and President Sarah Blahovec spoke with Sara Luterman of The 19th News about our work to empower disabled progressives to run for office and work on campaigns, the importance of prioritizing accessibility, and the challenges and opportunities for disabled candidates in the political arena.

“Disabled people are adaptable. We’re creative. We’re problem-solvers. And we’re resilient because everyday we navigate a society that is not built for our needs. If those aren’t leadership qualities, I don’t know what is.”

We had the opportunity to sit down with the collaborators of U.S. Democracy Day for a profile on Disability Victory, where we discussed the importance of increasing thoughtful disability representation in the United States and how Disability Victory is working to empower disabled leaders to run for office and work on campaigns.

On the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Disability Victory celebrates how this historic legislation has protected the civil rights of disabled Americans for over three decades.

“If you're a progressive thinking about running for office — you don't have to go through it alone. During this “Claim Your Seat” webinar, Run for Something (RFS) alums, staff, and partner organizations will process the realities of running for office as a disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent candidate.”

Disability Victory is honored to be a recipient of the Awesome Disability ’s June award our organization was built on the foundation of connecting the disability community directly to the electoral process and most importantly training a pipeline of disabled candidates ready to serve their communities.

“Organizations like Disability Victory look like an important next step in disabled communities developing and exercising the political power they have always deserved.”