In an article from the Assistive Technology Funding and Systems Change Project , attorneys Steven Mendelsohn and Susan Goodman offer advocacy tips for working effectively with legislators on a variety of levels. Build a relationship with legislators that represent you.
Laws come from members of the legislature.
Your US Congress members and your state legislators decide what laws will be introduced and how laws are changed. This means that advocates need to get to know their legislators and to cultivate relationships by discussing problems or issues that concern your community. Know the committee assignments of your representatives and senators. Hearings are held on both the authorization of legislation and on the funding of that law's implementation. If you have contact with your legislators, you may be invited to testify at a hearing on a bill.