Do your part

In these difficult and uncertain times, we all have something free, easy, and important to do: complete the U.S. Census. None of us knows everything our neighbors have to struggle with. And a lot of the support we all need gets determined by the census.

Allow me to share a personal example. When I was growing up, it was less common for families to keep a child with intellectual/developmental disabilities at home and raise them. My parents made that commitment to my sister, but it was hard for us every step of the way.

Since then, funding for programs like Special Education, disabled worker grants, and adult day programs have made life much better for families like ours. I believe most of us want to support families that try to stick together through such difficulties.

You can complete your questionnaire at my2020census.gov . If you’re not ready but want to commit, visit disabilitycounts2020.org/take-the-pledge/. You can always call toll-free 1-844-330-2020 for help, too.

One more note: Our own state programs supporting children and families also have to rely on this census for the next ten years. So, please, do your part to make every life count.

Michael Kirk

Spokane