ABLE Public Awareness Campaign – #ABLEtoSave

Brief Description of Campaign

#ABLEtoSave is a month-long grassroots education and outreach campaign taking place throughout August 2022. This national campaign explains and explores the opportunities for eligible people with disabilities and their families provided by the ABLE Act legislation of 2014. The campaign is spearheaded by the ABLE National Resource Center (ABLE NRC) in collaboration with National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) and state ABLE plans, along with the Center’s 25+ national disability organizations, financial institutions and other ABLE-related stakeholders.

Goal of Campaign

Having a disability is expensive and significantly increases the likelihood of living in poverty. The goal of #ABLEtoSave is to increase public awareness of tax-advantaged ABLE savings and investment accounts and how these accounts can build financial wellbeing for people with disabilities. ABLE accounts offer eligible individuals a path to “Achieve a Better Life Experience (ABLE)” through the ABLE Act legislation of 2014. The campaign is intended for all people with disabilities and their families, including members of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities with disabilities who are eligible for ABLE accounts.

Outline of Campaign

The 2022 campaign will be national in scale, with a diverse set of engaging activities, new resources and strategies designed to help people just learning about what ABLE accounts are and how they work. ABLE account owners and family members will be featured in live panel discussions and will share stories of how their ABLE account has improved the quality of their lives. The live sessions include American Sign Language (ASL) and CART captioning services.

Weekly Themes During #ABLEtoSave Month:

Week 1: Welcome to #ABLEtoSave Month

Week 2: Become an ABLE Account Owner and Achieve a Better Life Experience

Week 3: Help a Family Member Become an ABLE Account Owner

Week 4:  Opening and Using Your ABLE Account

Week 5: ABLE Account Call to Action: Next Steps to Achieve a Better Life Experience

Those participating in #ABLEtoSave will come away with a better understanding and confidence around ABLE accounts, with helpful tools and best practices to put information into action. Panels of ABLE account owners, family members and ABLE experts will be featured during the first four Mondays of August. Additionally, ABLE NRC will share new ABLE Decision Guides that cover topics such as ABLE eligibility, finding the funds to save in an ABLE account and the interaction of ABLE accounts with public means-tested benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicaid, Housing and Food Assistance.

ABLE NRC’s network of the country’s largest disability-related organizations (which oversees 1,000 state and local chapters, satellites and affiliates), combined with the participation of the various state ABLE plans and financial institutions, has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and their families.

Visit the ABLE NRC website (ablenrc.org) for more details, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@theABLENRC).

#ABLEtoSave Month is made possible with the support of our sponsors: