1. Inviting Ourselves to the Table:
How Self-Advocates and Families
are Changing Policy in Wisconsin
Beth Swedeen, WI Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
Cindy Bentley, People First Wisconsin
Lisa Pugh, Disability Policy Partnership
TASH, November 2012

2. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Wisconsin Disability Policy Partnership
Three AIDD partners
Work on policy issues at all levels:
• How research affects policy asks
• Working with legislators and department policy
makers
• Mobilizing and supporting grassroots action to
create a stronger self-advocate voice at all levels

3. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Start with topics most important to
self-advocates/families
• End the R word
• Long-term care enrollment caps
• Employment

4. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
What Self-Advocates and Families can do
that the “Professionals” never can…
• Explain impact of policy on their daily lives
• Talk about what it is like to experience specific
situations (institutional life, sheltered employment)
• Propose their own ideas for what makes sense
• Make personal connections to their legislators

5. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Make it easy to participate and feel
supported
• Conference calls
• Simple message points
• Sitting down to write testimony together
• Attending hearings and legislative visits together
• Help identify unique role/connection
• Stories: Travis, Terri, Cindy

6. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Collaboration: Take Your Legislator to Work

7. Inviting Ourselves to the Table

8. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Identifying local self-advocate/family groups
and empowering them to take action
• People First chapters
• Parent groups
• Special Olympics/Best Buddy chapters

9. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Joint High Priority Issues of Concern
•Long-Term Care Quality
•Family Support
•Youth Transition
•Integrated Employment
•Education
•Medicaid
•Transportation

10. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Not all effective advocates have to come to the Capitol:
Using Surveys to Tell a Broader Story
• Some issues need larger numbers of participants to
be compelling
• Statewide representation can steer policy more
effectively

11. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Self-Advocate State Budget

12. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Education Budget Cuts Report

13. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Wisconsin Families Forward

14. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Strategies for dissemination
• Facebook (“Like” Wisconsin Board…)
• Twitter (@WisDisPolicy)
• Conference calls with established groups
• Call for interest on specific issues

15. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Statewide Events: Self-Advocate Stories

16. Inviting Ourselves to the Table
Beth Swedeen, WI-BPDD
beth.swedeen@wisconsin.gov
Cindy Bentley, People First Wisconsin
cbentley@execpc.com
Lisa Pugh, ADD Public Policy Coordinator
lisa.pugh@drwi.org