A Strong Presence at Disability Day 2006!

Joining ranks with a total of more than 1,600 other advocates for disability rights, scores of Partners in Policymaking graduates put their expertise in advocating for disability rights to good use at Disability Day 2006 on Thursday, February 23. Early in the morning, they first recieved a last minute briefing on our common legislative agenda from AADD's staff: Dave Blanchard, Rita Young and Linda Allen.

We then headed up to the Capitol and pulled their legislators, asking them to support Unlocking the Waiting Lists for home and community based services. Click here to our message and what you can do help!

After these individual visits and taking part in a powerful rally at the Capitol - we marched to the Freight Depot where we joined a record number of over 1,600 people to eat lunch with other advocates and legislators.

“AADD has worked hard to put family members and self advocates up front, so they can tell their stories directly. This only happens because of our investment in leadership training of self-advocates and parents,” said Rita Young, who manages the Partners in Policymaking Program for AADD.

Dave Blanchard, Director of Education and Public Policy, says our investment from AADD, United Way of Atlanta, and the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities in Partners in Policymaking makes it much easier to reach legislators with the individual stories that make a difference.

“This makes our work easier, because through our trained advocates like Partners graduates, we can mobilize several hundred advocates who know how to talk to legislators and let them know about the needs of people with developmental disabilities,” said Blanchard. “Individually and collectively, we got in front of dozens of legislators to tell them how important it is that Georgians with disabilities are on the waiting list for services that are desperately needed,” he added.