WEBVTT 00:00:01.015 --> 00:00:11.023 [music] 00:00:11.023 --> 00:00:13.006 [male voice] They come one by one, 00:00:13.006 --> 00:00:15.005 all seeking answers to puzzling questions 00:00:15.005 --> 00:00:17.020 and ways of coping with the uncertainties 00:00:17.020 --> 00:00:19.046 and challenges that life can bring. 00:00:19.046 --> 00:00:22.056 Almost universally, they leave with new optimism 00:00:22.056 --> 00:00:24.046 and new tools to help them deal with the issues 00:00:24.046 --> 00:00:27.026 of concern. They are people with intellectual 00:00:27.026 --> 00:00:29.033 and developmental disabilities 00:00:29.033 --> 00:00:31.089 or the parents of children with disabilities 00:00:31.089 --> 00:00:33.059 and most have felt the frustration and pain 00:00:33.059 --> 00:00:35.076 of struggling to deal with the system. 00:00:35.076 --> 00:00:38.009 These individuals have come to Partners 00:00:38.009 --> 00:00:39.084 in Policymaking and their needs 00:00:39.084 --> 00:00:41.082 and circumstances vary. 00:00:41.082 --> 00:00:44.008 But all have sought ways to find new answers 00:00:44.008 --> 00:00:45.098 and to bring about change. 00:00:45.098 --> 00:00:47.075 They learn how to make their voices heard 00:00:47.075 --> 00:00:50.014 to play a role in policy development. 00:00:50.014 --> 00:00:53.043 Wanda Mills has lived with difficult disabilities 00:00:53.043 --> 00:00:55.079 for much of her life, but persevered 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:57.040 and went on to employment 00:00:57.040 --> 00:00:58.099 with the tax department in the town of Sylva 00:00:58.099 --> 00:01:01.079 When her parents passed on, she moved to 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.022 her own residence, cooks all her own meals 00:01:04.022 --> 00:01:05.090 and maintains the household. 00:01:05.090 --> 00:01:07.094 She credits the Partners program 00:01:07.094 --> 00:01:10.031 with helping her to interact in the community. 00:01:10.031 --> 00:01:16.057 It has changed my life completely. 00:01:16.057 --> 00:01:26.012 I have always wanted to be a public speaker. 00:01:26.012 --> 00:01:31.054 and that was a crazy idea, 00:01:31.054 --> 00:01:40.003 but Partners helped me realize that I could 00:01:40.003 --> 00:01:45.027 be a public speaker. 00:01:45.027 --> 00:01:53.081 That has always been a life dream of mine. 00:01:53.081 --> 00:02:01.002 From my perspective, it is to help 00:02:01.002 --> 00:02:09.026 parents of children with disabilities 00:02:09.026 --> 00:02:17.054 to not put their child in a box, 00:02:17.054 --> 00:02:23.071 but let them be all they can be, 00:02:23.071 --> 00:02:30.053 however little though that may be. 00:02:30.053 --> 00:02:33.085 That is so important. 00:02:33.085 --> 00:02:36.012 [male voice] Wanda is increasingly speaking out 00:02:36.012 --> 00:02:38.065 on issues of concern to people with disabilities 00:02:38.065 --> 00:02:40.076 addressing groups in a number of North Carolina 00:02:40.076 --> 00:02:44.016 communities. The Partners program director, 00:02:44.016 --> 00:02:46.058 Deborah Whitfield, an attorney who herself 00:02:46.058 --> 00:02:48.070 is a graduate of the program in Texas understands 00:02:48.070 --> 00:02:51.051 the growth process and now keeps the proceedings 00:02:51.051 --> 00:02:55.004 on track in North Carolina. 00:02:55.004 --> 00:02:58.023 There are some challenges, people who believe, that 00:02:58.023 --> 00:03:00.022 you know they can't do it because many of them 00:03:00.022 --> 00:03:02.043 haven't left their own communities. 00:03:02.043 --> 00:03:04.098 Many have never gotten on public transportation. 00:03:04.098 --> 00:03:08.022 Many have not even lived in a hotel room. 00:03:08.022 --> 00:03:11.081 So when you see those individuals 00:03:11.081 --> 00:03:13.032 who come to this training for the first time, 00:03:13.032 --> 00:03:15.075 get that experience and soar 00:03:15.075 --> 00:03:19.000 it is a delight to be a part of that process. 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.025 [male voice] The creator of the Partners advocacy 00:03:21.025 --> 00:03:23.077 program, Dr. Colleen Wieck, of Minnesota, 00:03:23.077 --> 00:03:25.087 said it was prompted by a specific need 00:03:25.087 --> 00:03:27.087 and then grew from there. 00:03:28.083 --> 00:03:32.030 The last witness at the 3-hour hearing was 00:03:32.030 --> 00:03:34.020 a young parent from International Falls, 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:37.012 Minnesota. And, everyone was giving her 00:03:37.012 --> 00:03:39.057 mixed messages about what to do to testify 00:03:39.057 --> 00:03:42.066 in front of U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger 00:03:42.066 --> 00:03:45.063 And, after that hearing, two of us got together 00:03:45.063 --> 00:03:48.043 and we realized, we could teach the skill 00:03:48.043 --> 00:03:51.033 that was missing. And, we could do this 00:03:51.033 --> 00:03:53.043 in a systematic way, as well as 00:03:53.043 --> 00:03:57.012 teach best practices about disability services. 00:03:57.012 --> 00:04:00.028 And, as a result, we created this 00:04:00.028 --> 00:04:03.005 eight weekend program that's designed to teach 00:04:03.005 --> 00:04:05.064 both- what is best practice 00:04:05.064 --> 00:04:08.030 in education, assistive technology, living 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:11.015 and employment, as well as how to communicate 00:04:11.015 --> 00:04:14.013 with local, state and federal officials. 00:04:14.013 --> 00:04:16.037 [narrator voice] Because the need for people with 00:04:16.037 --> 00:04:17.086 intellectual and developmental disabilities 00:04:17.086 --> 00:04:19.057 to advocate for themselves 00:04:19.057 --> 00:04:21.077 is not limited by boundaries, Partners programs 00:04:21.077 --> 00:04:24.013 are being conducted in most states 00:04:24.013 --> 00:04:26.019 in the U.S., and a number of foreign countries. 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:28.096 The individual needs vary, but there are 00:04:28.096 --> 00:04:30.037 some common themes. 00:04:30.037 --> 00:04:32.094 The desire for full inclusion often rises to the top. 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:38.038 I think that the tips and the tools that you learn 00:04:38.038 --> 00:04:43.008 about advocating for yourself or for others 00:04:43.008 --> 00:04:49.045 are great. You can use them for any disability 00:04:49.045 --> 00:04:52.079 Being a blind person, I come against 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.052 things all the time as far as 00:04:55.052 --> 00:05:02.018 what I can and can't do because 00:05:02.018 --> 00:05:05.066 I'm blind. They don't know what I can and can't do 00:05:05.066 --> 00:05:07.071 because they don't want to give you a chance. 00:05:07.071 --> 00:05:09.042 You have to speak up for yourself, 00:05:09.042 --> 00:05:11.029 so I learned to be more assertive. 00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:16.066 speak up for myself and sell myself. I have 00:05:16.066 --> 00:05:18.014 to do that. 00:05:18.014 --> 00:05:19.048 [narrator voice] While many graduates 00:05:19.048 --> 00:05:21.007 focus on issues of housing 00:05:21.007 --> 00:05:22.061 and employment, Doug Hedrick 00:05:22.061 --> 00:05:24.074 has zeroed in on respect, campaigning 00:05:24.074 --> 00:05:26.093 for the use of language that sees individuals 00:05:26.093 --> 00:05:30.021 with disabilities as people. The father of a son 00:05:30.021 --> 00:05:32.068 with autism, Hedrick went before the board of his 00:05:32.068 --> 00:05:35.042 local school district and got action. 00:05:35.042 --> 00:05:39.017 The eight month program gives you a lot of tools in 00:05:39.017 --> 00:05:42.087 your toolbelt, and I'm just starting to use 00:05:42.087 --> 00:05:44.059 a few of them. 00:05:44.059 --> 00:05:47.070 Some of the ones that I've used is being able to 00:05:47.070 --> 00:05:51.067 speak to school boards and facilitating 00:05:51.067 --> 00:05:54.069 a People First language policy. 00:05:54.069 --> 00:05:59.016 What Partners asked me to do, in the course, was 00:05:59.016 --> 00:06:02.094 to change or create policies, and I saw 00:06:02.094 --> 00:06:04.095 an opportunity with my school board in Burke 00:06:04.095 --> 00:06:08.033 County to say, let's use a People First 00:06:08.033 --> 00:06:11.013 language policy let's adopt that. 00:06:11.013 --> 00:06:13.092 And the interesting thing is ... 00:06:14.030 --> 00:06:16.031 and this is what I've learned in Partners. 00:06:16.031 --> 00:06:20.001 When you explain this to people. 00:06:20.001 --> 00:06:22.039 people generally do the right thing. 00:06:22.039 --> 00:06:26.022 People want to facilitate change 00:06:26.022 --> 00:06:29.046 if it's the right thing, and using a People First 00:06:29.046 --> 00:06:34.069 language policy is just a very good thing. 00:06:34.069 --> 00:06:38.061 And they adopted this policy last year, 00:06:38.061 --> 00:06:42.762 and they're using it today. 00:06:42.762 --> 00:06:44.811 [male narrator] Others have joined Hedrick 00:06:44.811 --> 00:06:47.127 as advocates of people first language 00:06:47.127 --> 00:06:49.273 a movement that has been supported 00:06:49.273 --> 00:06:50.481 and pressed by the North Carolina 00:06:50.481 --> 00:06:53.073 Council on Developmental Disabilities 00:06:53.073 --> 00:06:54.819 Together with other Partners graduates, Hedrick 00:06:54.819 --> 00:06:56.796 has helped push for People First language 00:06:56.796 --> 00:06:59.219 with webinars, telling supporters how they can 00:06:59.219 --> 00:07:00.951 carry the message to their own communities. 00:07:00.951 --> 00:07:04.881 They are demonstrating leadership in their 00:07:04.881 --> 00:07:06.718 communities, as many Partners graduates do. 00:07:06.718 --> 00:07:09.049 Debra Wilson completed the program 00:07:09.049 --> 00:07:11.287 and later was named a member of the 00:07:11.287 --> 00:07:12.926 North Carolina Council 00:07:12.926 --> 00:07:14.672 on Developmental Disabilities. She came to 00:07:14.672 --> 00:07:17.895 Partners when she was struggling to find ways 00:07:17.895 --> 00:07:19.841 of opening up workable education pathways 00:07:19.841 --> 00:07:21.993 for her daughter who has a visual impairment. 00:07:21.993 --> 00:07:25.662 We were having difficulties with our Onslow County 00:07:25.662 --> 00:07:28.362 school system where we live, and she was having 00:07:28.362 --> 00:07:33.788 to travel about two hours on a weekly basis 00:07:33.788 --> 00:07:37.611 just to be able to attend school and having 00:07:37.657 --> 00:07:40.034 to live somewhere besides her home environment. 00:07:40.049 --> 00:07:44.837 And, someone told me about Partners 00:07:44.837 --> 00:07:47.429 and asked if I thought I would be interested. And I 00:07:47.429 --> 00:07:49.960 didn't know anything about Partners at the time. 00:07:49.960 --> 00:07:53.956 And what happened was ultimately learning 00:07:53.956 --> 00:07:58.373 and being able to meet the people that Partners 00:07:58.373 --> 00:08:01.915 [laughs] It's almost like they pull them out of a hat but 00:08:01.915 --> 00:08:04.215 they're absolutely fantastic. 00:08:04.215 --> 00:08:07.098 And those people were able to show us 00:08:07.098 --> 00:08:09.693 not only knowledge but give us the power, 00:08:09.693 --> 00:08:12.687 show us power that we actually had, that we 00:08:12.687 --> 00:08:15.726 could change and make a difference to bring our 00:08:15.726 --> 00:08:18.322 children either home, in our case, 00:08:18.322 --> 00:08:20.280 or do what needed to be done so that 00:08:20.280 --> 00:08:23.243 they could get education. In every situation 00:08:23.243 --> 00:08:27.102 for us, and that's just being parents of our children 00:08:27.102 --> 00:08:28.688 with a disability. 00:08:28.688 --> 00:08:29.911 [male narrator] One young graduate 00:08:29.911 --> 00:08:33.011 of the program, self-advocate David Chatterton 00:08:33.011 --> 00:08:34.403 feels that the Partners program has been 00:08:34.403 --> 00:08:36.890 a great experience, and helped in preparing 00:08:36.890 --> 00:08:39.024 him for a career. 00:08:39.024 --> 00:08:43.447 I went into Partners because I wanted to meet 00:08:43.447 --> 00:08:46.416 new people, but also, I just kind of wanted to 00:08:46.416 --> 00:08:50.041 make a change in my life and to kind of get 00:08:50.044 --> 00:08:54.338 a strong sense of you know not letting people 00:08:54.338 --> 00:08:57.884 put you down, and what not. It was 00:08:57.884 --> 00:08:59.799 overwhelming, just because it goes deeper 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:02.053 into the whole disability area. 00:09:02.053 --> 00:09:10.433 I love to educate myself. I love that others educate 00:09:10.433 --> 00:09:13.046 me as well. So, going into Partners, you meet a lot 00:09:13.046 --> 00:09:15.284 of people that share a lot of the same visions as you. 00:09:15.284 --> 00:09:18.896 [male narrator] David is now looking to the future 00:09:18.896 --> 00:09:21.165 to continue his education, pursue a career 00:09:21.165 --> 00:09:23.173 and use his advocacy skills. 00:09:23.173 --> 00:09:25.628 Nurturing leadership and advocacy, and providing 00:09:25.628 --> 00:09:27.866 the voices of the future for people with 00:09:27.866 --> 00:09:30.289 intellectual and developmental disabilities 00:09:30.289 --> 00:09:34.724 is a primary purpose of Partners in Policymaking 00:09:34.724 --> 00:09:37.132 Holly Riddle, the executive director of the 00:09:37.132 --> 00:09:40.124 North Carolina Council, says it is a strong 00:09:40.124 --> 00:09:42.424 supporter and funder of the program. 00:09:42.424 --> 00:09:46.001 Many boards, commissions, committees, offices 00:09:46.001 --> 00:09:50.220 are staffed or are joined by Partners in Policymaking 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:52.851 graduates. When people come to Partners, they 00:09:52.851 --> 00:09:57.705 are the finest leaders that we get application from 00:09:57.705 --> 00:10:00.354 and when they come out, they can't be beat. 00:10:00.354 --> 00:10:05.739 It has always been the case that it is from individuals 00:10:05.739 --> 00:10:09.815 with disabilities and families that innovations come. 00:10:09.815 --> 00:10:12.467 When you're that close to the life of someone 00:10:12.467 --> 00:10:17.775 or when it is your own life, you think on your feet 00:10:17.775 --> 00:10:22.646 so many of the ideas that inform the field today 00:10:22.646 --> 00:10:25.524 at a systems level began in someone's living room 00:10:25.524 --> 00:10:30.249 in a classroom with an individual, or with a family 00:10:30.249 --> 00:10:34.876 many of them Partners in Policymaking graduates. 00:10:34.876 --> 00:10:36.699 [male narrator] There remains a challenging road 00:10:36.699 --> 00:10:39.629 ahead for people with intellectual and developmental 00:10:39.629 --> 00:10:42.663 disabilities, and the hope for change lies in improving 00:10:42.663 --> 00:10:45.194 the policies and systems designed to support 00:10:45.194 --> 00:10:48.381 and encourage these individuals and their families. 00:10:48.381 --> 00:10:50.192 It is people, such as the graduates of the 00:10:50.192 --> 00:10:54.076 Partners in Policymaking program who 00:10:54.076 --> 00:10:55.730 will bring about that system change. 00:10:55.730 --> 00:10:59.282 And after Partners, became empowered, 00:10:59.282 --> 00:11:02.074 and knowledge is power. 00:11:02.074 --> 00:11:07.130 And once that happened, the bitterness, 00:11:07.130 --> 00:11:14.378 the anger- it left. And now you learn, you know 00:11:14.378 --> 00:11:17.437 that people are people, and you learn how to deal 00:11:17.437 --> 00:11:20.484 with every different person there is in every 00:11:20.484 --> 00:11:30.747 situation. And those situations, they need to be 00:11:30.747 --> 00:11:33.953 used to help benefit, not only my child 00:11:33.953 --> 00:11:36.684 and my daughter, but they need to be used 00:11:36.684 --> 00:11:40.234 to benefit all disabilities, all disabilities. 00:11:40.234 --> 00:11:44.292 And everything that I can do and everything 00:11:44.292 --> 00:11:48.357 I've learned is important so that I keep my anger 00:11:48.357 --> 00:11:51.474 out of it, that it's not about the people 00:11:51.474 --> 00:11:55.236 it's about situations that we need to resolve 00:11:55.236 --> 00:11:58.136 and how we can go about doing those things, 00:11:58.136 --> 00:12:01.240 and, there again, the more knowledge you have 00:12:01.240 --> 00:12:04.110 the more power you have, which ultimately 00:12:04.110 --> 00:12:07.039 can make a change, and that's what it's about. 00:12:07.048 --> 00:12:10.588 [male narrator] Partners in Policymaking, a program 00:12:10.588 --> 00:12:14.001 to educate and to motivate, a program of action 00:12:14.001 --> 00:12:17.041 a program for the future. 00:12:17.041 --> 00:12:28.706 [music]