Hundreds of self-advocates, family members and service providers are set to pack the Hawaiʻi State Capitol on March 4, 2026 for the annual Day at the Capitol, a hands-on crash course in how state government really works. Organized around civic education and advocacy, the event will have participants meeting lawmakers, sitting in on hearings and practicing how to deliver testimony in real time.
As reported by Maui Now, the gathering is part of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and will carry the theme “We All Have Different Faces, Come from Different Places, and All of Our Voices Shall be Heard!” Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities Executive Administrator Daintry Bartoldus said, “This year’s theme reminds us that respect and inclusion are fundamental values that strengthen our entire community.” The council expects roughly 500 attendees from across the islands to make the trip.
What to expect at the Capitol
Activities on March 4 are scheduled from about 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and include a welcome and orientation, meetings with legislators, attendance at public hearings, a mock hearing and a presentation from the Public Access Room on how the Legislature operates. The schedule, outlined on the Hawaii Waiver Providers Association calendar, is designed to give self-advocates practical, step-by-step experience with the legislative process. Organizers also frame the day as a chance for families, providers and advocates to connect and follow up with state agencies once the Capitol buzz settles down.
Who’s organizing the day
The Day at the Capitol is coordinated by the Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities alongside a roster of partners that includes the University of Hawaiʻi Center on Disability Studies, the Hawaiʻi Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Developmental Disabilities Division, the Public Access Room and the Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center. Those collaborators are listed in recent state announcements from the Department of Health, which say the event is intended to amplify the voices of people with developmental disabilities at the Legislature. Organizers are urging attendees to use face-to-face time at the Capitol to build working relationships with lawmakers and staff across party lines.
Why it matters
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, observed nationwide each March since 1987, is led by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities and partner organizations to spotlight inclusion and policy priorities for people with developmental disabilities. Hawaiʻi’s Day at the Capitol translates that national campaign into an in-person civic exercise, giving people with lived experience a direct route to lawmakers and a platform to educate the public about issues such as employment, access to services and emergency preparedness. Advocates say that sitting down with legislators and walking through mock hearings helps connect policy decisions to the daily routines and realities of the people most affected.
