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Our Story

Like all the best ideas, Little Lobbyists began as a kitchen table conversation between friends. Late one evening, Elena Hung and Michelle Morrison, co-founders of Little Lobbyists, sat down with a friend to discuss their concerns for their community of kids with complex medical needs. The news from D.C. in early 2017 had families worried, but not everyone knew what to do or had access to their representatives. How could we get our elected officials to understand how important programs and protections like the ACA, Medicaid, ADA, and IDEA are for families who rely on specialized health care, inclusive education, and accessible public spaces? 

A simple plan was formed: collect photos and stories of kids with complex medical needs from around the country and take them directly to their legislators. Deliver them in person with their own kids (and their ventilators, oxygen, wheelchairs, walkers, leg braces, feeding tubes, and more in tow) so lawmakers could see first-hand who needs the protection of the very laws and programs under threat. 

After our first trip to Capitol Hill in June of 2017, it was clear we had so much more work to do. (To find out more about our first trip (and how we got our name!), click here, and here). One trip turned into many. We’ve continued to collect stories from all over the country, visit legislators to educate them about kids with complex medical needs and disabilities in their own states, and spread awareness about issues that impact our families. We’ve been joined by dozens more families in Washington, D.C. who’ve made personal connections with policy makers. We’ve connected with thousands more through social media, television interviews, news articles, press conferences, and other events. We’ve come a long way; we have learned an incredible amount, collaborated with inspiring allies, had countless conversations, and fought some really big battles. And we're not done yet.

Our goal is for the United States to become a place where our government champions policies and laws that protect the livelihood and future of our children. We are working together to map a path to better health care, education, and community inclusion for every person with complex medical needs and disabilities. 

We work every day toward that goal, to help guide our country toward the healthier, happier future our children deserve.