Giraffes teach their young to stick out their necks
“Partner in Policymaking graduates are members of the Giraffe Society–they are willing to stick their necks out.” Ed Roberts
Partners in Policymaking Celebrates 25 Years: 1987-2012
It is popular to complain, “We need to get rid of government programs–they don’t work.” But if you are a parent or person with a disability, you know you can’t do it alone. You know you need help to survive.
And, maybe the question we need to ask is: “How can I get involved and make government programs work better…for myself and others?”
If you are struggling to find services and build a network of support for yourself or your young child, I highly recommend Partners in Policymaking. It is the best resource I know.
Partners in Policymaking is a program that not only works–it teaches parents, self-advocates and policymakers HOW to make government programs work.
In 1987, Dr. Colleen Wieck of the Minnesota Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Planning Council created Partners in Policymaking.
For 25 years the goal is still to create a win-win partnership between people who need and use services and the people who make public policy.
With 21,000 Partners in Policymaking graduates in the United States, and 2,000 Partners graduates internationally, parents, self-advocates and policymakers are changing the world.
Why Partners?
Partners is designed for adults with disabilities and families of young children, but some programs expand that target group.
The goal of Partners is to teach “best practices” and the skills necessary to “change systems.”
State-of-the-art information gives Partners the big picture, allows them to dream big, and gives them strategies to turn their dreams into reality.
Partners participants become competent to change their own lives, and then to work for changes that will affect others with disabilities at local, state, and national levels. Partners graduates are expected to be agents of long term change. They learn there are no “quick fixes.” They are trained to achieve long term successes.
Who are the “Policymakers”?
Policymakers are the people in government who are elected or appointed to make decisions about rules, regulations and resources. They legislate on school boards, city councils, county and state agencies and governments, federal congressional legislators, and others who shape disability issues at all levels of government.
Some Partners graduates have become elected and appointed public officials.
Partners in Policymaking is the Instruction Book
How many times have you heard parents wish, “If only I had an instruction book”?
Partners in Policymaking IS the instruction Book.
Here is a video that explains the facts about the Partner’s Program from the United Kingdom.
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Texas, 20 Years of Partners in Policymaking (2006) “It is the Power of the Dream that brings us here.” (You will love this song.)
New Classes Forming Now: The Power of the Dream
Find the Partners contact person for your state/country.
Find out the target audience for the Partners Course and if you are eligible–sign up.
If you are not eligible, see if you can still be part of the Partners network.
Everyone can take the online courses.
Here is the Homepage for the Partners in Policymaking Website. You can find contact information for where you live, you can find online courses, you can find Parallels in Time: A History of People with Disabilities and a wealth of other resources. But most importantly, you will be able to network with others who are sharing your journey.
Comments:
Any success stories about Partners? Any success stories about partnerships between advocacy groups and local leaders? Does this sound like a good idea? Who would you suggest for speakers on state-of-the-art? Do you think the power of the dream can bring people together?
Keep Climbing: Onward and Upward
All my best,
Mary