Remote testimony in Olympia made it possible for the disabled to have their voices heard

This past legislative session began while Washington residents were still social distancing and under mandates from our Governor. As a result, all testimony and hearings in the Legislature this year were remote — via Zoom. This was a unique 2021 legislative session.

I wanted to be a part of the decision-making in Olympia this year. I learned a lot about our state government and how to access and testify remotely under extreme circumstances. TVW was live and available, which made it easy to follow the bills which directly affected me as a disabled senior. I found out that I could Zoom with my legislators. I met with Rep. Brad Klippert using Zoom and we talked about HB 1277, which provides for additional eviction prevention and housing stability services. I also was able to remotely testify on several other bills like the 988 system, and HB 1086 to create an office for mental health Ombuds.

I felt empowered by the new access availability. It made my desire to be involved with my legislature possible. Better yet, everyone across Washington had this amazing access and we could testify from the comfort of our own homes!

Before this session, due to transportation issues and financial limitations, I wasn’t able to engage with specific activities such as in-person testimony, advocacy days or even have a face to face meeting with my legislators. What a change this year with remote access! This past session I was able to follow many bills like HB 1141, the death with dignity act. I registered online for the record and left my written testimony of my concerns. I was able to watch TVW to follow the process and hear testimony on this bill. I’m happy to report it didn’t get off the Senate floor.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention WA Legislative Policy Advocates run by Laura Van Tosh. WLPA is a nonpartisan advocacy group that gave their time to help constituents learn how to navigate the Legislative website and testify remotely. WLPA offered a tour of the Legislative website and helped resolve accessibility challenges. Using the information from WLPA, I was able to connect with our legislature more efficiently.

This past session proved that Washington voters want to be involved. The big win was it saved all of us Washingtonians time and money because we didn’t have the hardship of traveling hundreds of miles across the state to Olympia just to be heard on a single bill.

By making remote testimony available to people like me, the Legislature made it possible for people with disabilities to have our voices heard. Even in the midst of the COVID pandemic we proved to Olympia that we want to be there because if we have no voice we have no choice!

The Legislature will return to in-person testimony after the pandemic. They should keep the remote option in place so constituents with barriers, like myself, and others with limited resources will be able to engage with our Legislature.