Call to Congress

Every spring, the ADA convenes Call to Congress, bringing together hundreds of diabetes advocates to Capitol Hill. These advocates work to educate their members of Congress about the impact of diabetes, share their personal stories, and promote key federal priorities like federal funding to support diabetes research and programs, and access to adequate and affordable healthcare.

The application period for Call to Congress 2020 closed on October 31. Applicants will receive an email invitation informing them if they’ve been selected to attend by November 15, 2019. This invitation will include a link to register or decline the invitation. See Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Call to Congress applicants and attendees for answers to common questions.

Call to Congress serves as the premier advocacy campaign for the ADA in empowering those affected by diabetes to tell their stories and drive positive change and support among congressional champions and key influencers.

Attendees include children and adults living with diabetes, parents and caretakers, healthcare professionals, and diabetes researchers—all of whom put a face on diabetes by sharing their stories. This platform gives diabetes advocates the training, direction, and opportunity to have a voice in the decisions being made in Washington that directly impact their lives and the lives of those they love.

While Call to Congress culminates with an in-person event in Washington each spring, the initiative encompasses a far larger and longer engagement campaign throughout the year, giving more than 500,000 diabetes advocates a voice in what matters most at home and in Washington. Because of this advocacy, members of Congress and their staff not only learn about the impact of diabetes, they are moved to support and champion critical public policies benefiting individuals with and at risk for diabetes. Policy change and investments at the federal level move the nation closer to the ADA’s mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

The goal of Call to Congress, and our advocacy in general, is to educate Congress about the massive impact of diabetes and gain their commitment to act in support for key resources, legislation, and programming to bend the curve of the diabetes epidemic in the future, and to help individuals and families impacted by diabetes thrive.