Fragile X Advocacy
We actively advocate in Congress for Fragile X research funding, and policies that facilitate drug and treatment development and create opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Fragile X Advocacy
We actively advocate in Congress for Fragile X research funding, and policies that facilitate drug and treatment development and create opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Advocacy is key to support the mission of the NFXF — to serve the entire Fragile X community to live their best lives by providing the knowledge, resources, and tools until, and even after, more effective treatments and a cure are achieved.
Essential to advocacy success is the participation of Fragile X parents, siblings, self-advocates, friends, medical providers, and researchers. Members of Congress listen to voices from home. They are the loudest, most effective voices and it is critical that you attend meetings with members of Congress and their staff. You don’t have to be eloquent or perfect — you just have to be honest, respectful, and solution-oriented. Your participation moves the needle for more research funding and policies that help Fragile X families have a better life.
Advocacy Day
NFXF Advocacy Day 2023
In-person training is on the afternoon of Monday, February 27 and the in-person meetings on Capitol Hill are Tuesday, February 28 (NFXF Advocacy Day). Learn more and register below ↓
Constituents (aka YOU) connecting with your members of Congress and their staff are THE KEY to our successful advocacy program. You make it possible.
The pillar of the program is Advocacy Day. Every spring, for over 20 years, we gather in Washington, D.C., in a concerted, joint effort to raise awareness of Fragile X in Congress and to ask for research funding and policies that provide the opportunity for a better life for those living with Fragile X.
It is easy to think your voice doesn’t matter — but it does. Voices from home are the loudest! They know you are a voter. Showing up, telling your story, educating them, and showing them practical ways they can help is what makes a difference!
What does participation look like?
We take care of all of the pre-planning, including your training:
- Training: We will have a combination of mandatory online self-paced training ahead of time and group training/preparation at the Embassy Suites on the afternoon of Monday, February 27. We will also be hosting a virtual Zoom meeting earlier in the month of February for new or returning advocates.
- Materials: You receive all of the materials you’ll need.
- Meetings: Your meetings are scheduled for you and everything is coordinated with other advocates from your area. Plan to be in-person for your meetings.
The bottom line? Don’t be nervous — we will help you each step of the way.
Advocacy Day 2023
In-person Tuesday, February 28
Agenda
Monday, February 27th: Afternoon training and reception with light snacks
Tuesday, February 28th: Meetings at Capitol Hill
Hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton Crystal City National Airport
Scholarships
Applications due January 16, 2023.
Learn More
Learn about our Advocacy Day 2022 Asks for Fragile X research funding for fiscal year 2023.
Families, caregivers, self-advocates, doctors, researchers — you are what moves the needle on Capitol Hill.
Questions? Please email the NFXF Team at advocacy@fragilex.org.
Download Your State’s Fact Sheet
For use on Advocacy Day (or any day), we created these one-pagers to help introduce someone to Fragile X, including the number of affected individuals — constituents — currently residing in each state.
If you’re nervous, you’re not alone. We’re here to help you each step of the way —
so sign up and make a difference!
Watch
Gregg Harper represented Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District in Congress from 2009-2019. He is also a Fragile X dad to Livingston. Now, he works as an NFXF Team member on our advocacy program. He spoke at the 17th NFXF International Fragile X Conference on the importance of advocacy and how to do it well. You can now watch his full keynote.
Legislation We’re Currently Supporting
Credit for Caring Act
Provides for a tax credit for caring for an adult, similar to the Child Tax Credit.
ABLE Employment Flexibility Act
Allows employers to contribute to an employees’ ABLE account instead of a 401(k).
Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act
Prevents the use of a disability to determine a patient’s eligibility for an organ transplant.
Orphan Drug Tax Credit
Fighting attempts to weaken the tax credit to pay for other spending proposals.
Disability Employment Incentive Act
Expands tax credits and deductions that are available for employers who hire and retain employees with disabilities.
Speeding Therapy Access Today Act
Creates a Rare Disease Center of Excellence at the FDA with the goal of accelerated rare disease therapy development.
What We’ve Accomplished
Research
We advocate for investments by the Federal government in Fragile X research and policies that spur drug development for rare disorders.
Ensuring successful Fragile X research is a multi-faceted approach, including participation from researchers and families, federal policies, and private, institutional, and federal investments. The investment by the federal government over the past two decades has exceeded $400 million – much of which is attributed to the work of NFXF Advocates. Specifically:
- A robust program at the NIH, funding around $40M/year, including three Fragile X centers.
- A line item at the CDC for $2M/year, which currently funds the FORWARD research project.
- Fragile X research funding by the Department of Defense (DOD).
- A comprehensive National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blueprint to guide research targeting all Fragile X-associated disorders.
- The Orphan Drug Act to encourage private companies to repurpose drugs approved for other disorders for rare diseases/disorders.
Better Lives
Everyone with an intellectual and developmental disability has the same right to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. We work for policies to make that possible.
We like to say if you have met someone with Fragile X, you have met someone with Fragile X. Every individual is just that – an individual. Each is unique and each has unique needs. Our goal is to promote policies that make better lives possible and give each family an opportunity to choose the path that they feel is best for them. We recognize the importance of social support programs, such as SSDI, Medicaid, and Medicare and the importance of giving families opportunities to save additional resources and individuals to find value in work meaningful to them. Our successes include:
- ABLE Accounts, which are tax-deferred savings accounts for adults living with disabilities, similar to 529 college savings accounts.
- The ACE Kids Act to help children on Medicaid with “complex medical conditions,” receive better, coordinated care, including across state lines.
- The RAISE Act to improve federal, state, and local policies for caregivers of adults.
We have also supported:
- Continued, increased access to telehealth beyond the pandemic.
- The HEADS Up Act to make more specialists available under Medicaid and community-based health centers specific to IDD by designating intellectual and developmental as a medically underserved population.
- Self-driving vehicles to provide another transportation option.
Awareness in Congress
Before a member of Congress can help, they have to know about Fragile X. That is a key component of our advocacy — raising awareness of Fragile X among the policymakers.
And NFXF Advocates have been very successful at this. Visiting offices, sharing your story, introducing them to self-advocates, and more demonstrates to them this is real, it affects their constituents, and this is how they can help. And the work is continuous. In 2021, the work includes:
- The House Fragile X Caucus. Members of the House can join the Caucus to demonstrate their support of families living with Fragile X. The co-chairs work each year to raise awareness and to support the annual appropriations request for research. The Caucus is co-chaired by one Democrat and one Republican, currently Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT-2) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-4).
- When Gregg Harper served in Congress, he established an internship program in the House for individuals with IDD. The mission was two-fold: give these individuals a chance to serve and raise awareness of IDD among the staff and members. It continues to this day, and at least two individuals with Fragile X have participated, and upon his retirement, was renamed the Gregg and Livingston Harper Internship Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Livingston is Gregg’s son and has Fragile X syndrome.
How Can You Help?
Learn More
What Does a New Congress Mean for Advocacy
As the Biden Administration takes office and Congress switches control, what does it mean for NFXF Fragile X Advocacy efforts?
Camping and Fragile X
Because of the hard work of NFXF advocates over the past 20 years, decision-makers in Congress know what Fragile X is. Being present, persistent, and problem-solving is what gets things done in Congress.
Life with Fragile X: Who is Helping Who?
We’re always looking for new ways to share and raise awareness about Fragile X, life with Fragile X, and the individuals and families it affects. Here we talk with Laura Dooling and her life with three cousins with Fragile X syndrome.
How to Advocate for Fragile X
Gregg Harper, a former Member of Congress, gives you 3 tips to effectively advocate for Fragile X in Congress and anywhere else in government.
Last Updated: 1/10/2021