It's one weekend a month for 5 months. Sister said she'd hang w/ Brook and Hub's.I got this invite through IEP Partners (OrPTI) I have to fill out the app and then they pick who gets to go. I hope they pick me
It sounds interesting. I couldn't get the link to work so i'll post the page now. Mom showed up earlier and I forgot
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Oregon Partners in Policymaking is an exciting and innovative leadership training program for adults with developmental disabilities and parents of children with developmental disabilities. Partners provides participants with the knowledge and skills they need to influence the issues, agencies, and people affecting their lives.
Oregon Partners in Policymaking makes participants better advocates for themselves, their family members, and the greater disability community. Participants learn about communicating and advocating effectively, services and supports, best practices and approaches, and current policy issues. They learn how to participate in the policymaking process at all levels, so that they can be equal partners in the decisions that impact their lives.
To submit an application, download the PDF document on the right. Print the application and then:
Fax or mail it to:
The Arc of Oregon, 1745 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301
fax 503-363-7168
Complete the fillable PDF document and email it as an attachment to:
email: pip@arcoregon.org
Applications are due: September 25, 2009
Selected participants will be notified by October 30, 2009
For information or assistance completing the application please contact: Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities 503-945-9941; Toll free 800-292-4154 in Oregon
History of the Program
Partners in Policymaking was originally created in Minnesota by the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities in 1987. Since then, Partners programs have been implemented in 46 states, the Northern Mariana Islands, Netherlands, Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom. More than 15,000 Partners graduates are part of a growing international network of community leaders serving on policymaking committees, commissions, and boards at all levels of government.
Partners in Policymaking in Oregon has graduated 9 classes of participants since 1994, the first year the program was offered in our state. The Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities has maintained a strong commitment to Partners over the past 15 years, providing the funding and support for the program. As of 2009, over 180 self-advocates and family members have graduated from the Oregon course, now offered on a biannual basis (every two years).
For more information about the national model, click here to view the Minnesota Partners in Policymaking website.
What are the Topics?
During each one-weekend session over the course of 5 months, Partners covers a different topic area, and participants build their communication and advocacy skills.
The concepts and issues presented include:
The history of the disabilty rights movement and perceptions of people with disabilities
Self-determination and self-advocacy
Whole-life planning: person-centered plans
State-supported services
Specialized supports: assistive technology, environmental accommodations, behavioral supports, best practices
Special Education: inclusion, transition, federal and state laws
State and federal legislative issues: how to get involved, how to influence policy
Community organizing: how to work together to make systems change
Oregon Partners in Policymaking is a program of the Arc of Oregon, funded by the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Participants learn from incredible national and local leaders in the fields of developmental disabilities, policy advocacy, education, social services, community organizing, and more. Interactive presentations and discussions with these speakers in small groups allow for in-depth understanding of each topic.
Oregon Partners speakers have included:
Kathie Snow
Connie Lyle O’Brien
David Pitonyak
Bobby Silverstein
Richard Villa
Sue Swenson
Mike Green
Michael Remus
Norm Kunc
Core competencies taught throughout the course include:
Effective communication skills
Principles of self-determination, choice and control
Strategic thinking and planning
Achieving change: personally, locally, nationally
Who should apply?
Oregon residents who are:
Adults with developmental disabilities, OR
Parents of children who have developmental disabilities
AND are highly motivated to create better communities for people with disabilities and their families.
We welcome cultural diversity and seek representation from all areas of Oregon.
Partners in Policymaking uses the federal definition of developmental disabilities when selecting participants.
A developmental disability is:
A severe and lasting mental and/or physical impairment which occurs prior to age 22 and is likely to continue indefinitely.
A disability resulting in substantial functional limitations in three or more life activities, including self-care, speaking, understanding language, learning, mobility, ability to make decisions, living alone and financial independence.
Application to the program is competitive.
Participant Expectations
Participating in Partners in Policymaking is a lot of fun, and participants often make life-long friends through the program. It is also a lot of hard work.
Partners are asked to make the following commitments:
Attend ALL two-day sessions in Salem from 1pm Friday to 4pm Saturday
Make arrangements with employers and others, as necessary, to be available for ALL sessions
Maintain an active email account, and check it at least once per week (assistance is available for individuals who do not currently have an email account)
Complete all homework assignments, including community networking, advocacy activities, interviews, reading, and other projects
In recent years, participants spent an average of 15 hours on activities outside of the 2-day training sessions each month, but each person is unique and his/her needs and the amount of time available to complete assignments. Some participants spent as little as 2 hours during some months, some spent over 60 in a given month…frequently the work intersects with participants’ daily lives (IEP or ISP meetings, volunteer work, committee meetings, etc.) in ways that make it easy to complete the assignments.
Partners respects individual differences, and participants have the opportunity to pursue the topics and issues that interest them the most.
The Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities makes a significant fiscal investment in each participant. Participation in this program is an important commitment.
Our hope is that Oregon Partners Graduates will go on to become active disability advocates at the local, state, and national levels.
What does it cost?
The training program is free to participants selected to attend, including:
all 2-day sessions
reading materials
lodging
meals
Mileage and transportation expenses to and from the session are reimbursed.
Childcare stipends to help defray childcare expenses while attending the sessions are available.
Partners provides for other accommodations as needed:
Accessible lodging
Personal assistant
Accessible transportation
Interpreter
Materials in alternate format
Homework assistance
Comments from Graduates
When asked, “What was your favorite aspect of Oregon Parnters in Policymaking?”
Oregon Partners Graduates replied:
“I loved the info, the application of the information, the encouragement, the confidence, giving you the direction for your life in the community, the schools, and the possibilities for your children that you didn’t know existed. Bringing out emotion, all emotion for so many things, how to channel it, and how to take care of yourself, which is overlooked so many times. The experience testifying at the capitol. It has elevated my life in so many ways. PIP has helped change my life and put me on a road that I only hoped to be on.”
“Knowledge really IS power. With it all things, including change, are really possible! The bonds and power to change will last a lifetime. Not only will the lives of people with disabilities become better for it, but our children will see that strength and determination really do make a difference. And that dreams really do come true if you try hard enough…What better legacy could we pass on?”
“An amazing, empowering program for advocates who wish to learn their way through legal, moral, and ethical maze the government and different programs stick us in.”
“The constant messages that our kids have rights and futures that are worth fighting for. Knowledge that we are not alone. Highlights: Kathie Snow, Michael Remus, David Pitonyak, George Braddock.”
“I really feel Partners has been very good training. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the training I received. I’m very grateful.”
“Although I had the passion and the motivation to assist other families and individuals with disabilities, Partners has provided me with the skills to become an effective advocate. It has shown me how attitudes and perceptions are the greatest barriers for people with disabilities; and how I must focus on those attitudes and perceptions to create change.”
“Focusing on the BIG PICTURE, or the problem instead of the symptoms. I didn’t realize how caught up I was in day-to-day and not trying to improve. This was also the first opportunity I’ve had to work with adults with disabilities.”
“Partners is a phenomenal program that totally changed how I view people with DD, including how I see my own son. I did not expect my heart would be expanded. I have a much greater understanding of the importance of my advocacy work, how I can be heard .... Partners gave me the tools to have more self- confidence when I approach anyone who has an effect on my son’s life: educators, service providers, and policymakers. Thank you so much!”