Grassroots Advocacy Conference FAQs
General
The 2022 event will take place June 13 – June 16, 2022. The conference is tentatively scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. at the Hilton Hotel located at 480 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington D.C. 2004.
All producing nonprofit agencies in the SourceAmerica network are encouraged to apply to attend. Similar to past years, about 50 nonprofits will actually participate in the event. NPAs will be selected in December.
As of the published date of these FAQs, the conference is scheduled to be in-person. SourceAmerica continues to monitor the situation of “live” events and will inform all attendees as soon as possible should that change.
There are several factors that will impact whether congressional meetings will be held in person, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions posed by some members of Congress on in-person meetings. Additionally, security procedures at the Capitol have changed. Capitol visitors may not remain in the building in between meetings. In addition, the underground tunnels that typically ease and expedite travel between buildings are no longer accessible to visitors. The situation is fluid, and SourceAmerica will continue to monitor these restrictions to determine whether the congressional meetings will be able to be held in-person.
Virtual Self-Advocacy Training
A self-advocate is any employee with a disability working on an AbilityOne contract facilitated by a nonprofit agency in the SourceAmerica network.
The SourceAmerica Virtual Self-Advocacy training will be held over the following dates:
- Jan. 18 OR Feb. 22: Part One – Self-Advocacy: Finding Your Voice in the Local Community
- March 24 OR April 12: Part Two – Self-Advocacy: Telling Your Story to Business Leaders and Elected Officials
- May 4 (Note: this session will be held for selected self-advocates attending the conference): Part Three – Telling Your Story Overview and Practice
All the trainings will be held via Zoom from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET in order to provide training to more people.
Please note: self-advocates should attend the session either from the NPA headquarters OR at their home. Self-advocates are not allowed to participate in these trainings from their federal worksites due to lobbying regulations.
NPAs will be required to provide self-advocates with the technology needed to participate in the event. It is highly encouraged that self-advocates gather at the NPA headquarters to attend the virtual trainings should the self-advocates need technology support.
SourceAmerica has a limited number of laptops that can be loaned. If you are interested in receiving one of these computers, please send a request to the Learning Solutions team at academy@sourceamerica.org.
The SourceAmerica Learning Solutions team will host the Self-Advocacy trainings. If you have questions regarding the event, please contact academy@sourceamerica.org. This email account will be checked regularly, and someone will get back to you in a timely manner.
Registration for trainings will be open through Jan. 14. NPAs that were selected to attend the conference have received an email to register self-advocates and staff members.
NPAs are encouraged to select two to three self-advocates to attend the 2022 virtual Self-Advocacy trainings.
SourceAmerica wants to provide more in-depth training to self-advocates and expand the number of people trained throughout the year. We hope to empower every self-advocate so they can be part of advocacy opportunities throughout the year.
NPAs will be responsible for selecting the best candidates for the virtual self-advocate training. If possible, please select an AbilityOne® employee who has not participated in the conference in the past.
While we encourage self-advocates to attend the live virtual trainings, the sessions will be recorded and be made available to participants.
SourceAmerica will cover the costs of travel and accommodations for one NPA representative, one self-advocate, and one friend or family member of the self-advocate. Other participants may attend the conference in June on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Government Affairs team at advocacy@sourceamerica.org.
Travel Accommodations
Yes. SourceAmerica will reimburse NPAs for travel, food, and lodging.
Nonprofit agencies will be required to send one team consisting of a self-advocate, family member or support professional, and an NPA executive to the conference. If the conference ends up being held virtually, NPAs will be required to provide self-advocates with the technology needed to participate in the event.
The SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy Conference will be hosted by the Government Affairs Department. If you have questions regarding the event, please contact advocacy@sourceamerica.org. This email account will be checked on a regular basis and someone will get back to you.
The hotel will honor the group rate 7 days prior and 7 days after the event dates at the following rates:
Single or Double: $305.00
Triple: $315.00
Quad: $335.00
Suite: $305.00
We will be monitoring the mandates and protocols in Washington, D.C., and we will update attendees as we get closer to the event.
Registration and Selection Process
Registration to attend this year’s conference will be open between March 28 – April 29.
NPAs are strongly encouraged to recommend two to three self-advocates to attend the virtual self-advocacy trainings that will be held prior to the conference. While only one participant will travel to Washington, D.C., the other selected individuals will have an opportunity to receive self-advocate training in virtual settings.
SourceAmerica wants to provide more in-depth training to self-advocates and expand the number of people trained throughout the year. To achieve that goal, every nonprofit should identify two to three self-advocates to participate in the virtual training during the 2022 conference. Although only one self-advocate will attend the conference in-person, we hope to empower every participant so they can be part of other advocacy opportunities throughout the year.
NPAs will be responsible for selecting the best candidates for the conference. We respectfully ask that NPAs select a different participant from past years and that they be employed on an AbilityOne contract.
The virtual trainings will take place in two parts. The dates for part one are tentatively scheduled for January 18 and February 22. Part two of the trainings will take place on March 24 and April 12. An additional training session on May 4 will be available for those self-advocates who will be attending the conference in person. Self-advocates are encouraged to attend both parts one and two but participation in both sessions is not a requirement to attend the Grassroots conference.
Technical Requirements
Google Chrome is the recommended internet platform to access the conference. Download it here if you do not currently have it set up on your computer. Mozilla Firefox or Safari will also work with the platform. Internet Explorer and Edge are not compatible with our systems.
Make sure that your systems meet our minimum requirements below. You can test your internet speed, firewall, operating system, web browser, microphone, and webcams that you will need to use during our conference here!
Computer System Requirements:
- An internet connection – broadband wired/hardwired (preferred) or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE)
- Speakers and a microphone – built-in or USB plug-in
- Any webcam or HD webcam - built-in or USB plug-in
Note: See the list of supported devices.
Supported Operating Systems:
- macOS X with macOS 10.9 or later
- Windows 10
Note: Devices running Windows 10 must run Windows 10 Home, Pro, or Enterprise - Windows 8 or 8.1