Abstract
Partners in Policymaking<sup>®</sup> is a leadership and advocacy training program for adults with disabilities and family members of persons with disabilities. The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities began implementing this intensive seven-weekend program in 1993. <i>Objectives</i>: The lasting influence of such a training program on the advocacy practices and leadership activities of graduates once they have completed the program has not been examined; this was the aim of the study. <i>Methods</i>: A follow-up survey seeking to quantify graduates’ current levels of advocacy, community involvement, accomplishments, and overall satisfaction with the training experience was created and sent to 361 graduates across a variety of formats; one hundred and thirty-five individuals completed the measure. <i>Results</i>: The findings suggest that program completion had a lasting impact on participants’ disability-related knowledge, advocacy, and self-assessed ability to create change in disability-related policy. Specifically, a majority of the graduates affirmed increases in leadership skills, leadership ability, and sense of empowerment. In addition, graduates reported increased feelings of connectedness to others with similar life experiences, with a majority even reporting increased quality of life due to participation. <i>Conclusions</i>: Use of a structured training program in leadership and advocacy to increase perceived self-efficacy in disability policy advocacy and leadership is supported. Graduates’ qualitative comments reveal enduring community activism and engagement in systems change, including statewide and national disability-related policy advocacy, years after completing the program.
Highlights
As a means to realize the self-determination and inclusion goals of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act [1], the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities developed the Partners in Policymaking program in 1987
Graduates uniformly affirmed the value and long-term impact that the Partners in Policymaking leadership institute had on their personal growth and leadership skills, knowledge of disability policy issues, community involvement, and disability-related advocacy efforts
Fifty-seven percent of the sample reported that they are currently participating “a good amount” or “a lot” in group advocacy group efforts. For those currently participating in disability-related advocacy, 73.7% attributed their degree of engagement and success to their participation in the Partners in Policymaking leadership institute
Summary
As a means to realize the self-determination and inclusion goals of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act [1], the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities developed the Partners in Policymaking program in 1987. As an advocacy training program, Partners is recognized internationally in the field of developmental disabilities by self-advocates, disability professionals, and policymakers [3]. The curriculum includes education on historical perspectives in disability, an overview of state and federal legislative processes, promotion of inclusive communities and classrooms, developing community organizing skills, proven practices in housing and employment, and the importance of assistive technologies. Partners endeavors to teach best practices through innovative, competency-based training, with the intent of producing knowledgeable and skilled
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