Partners in Policymaking California » Uncategorized

June Homework Questionnaire

Jim Lockwood — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:07:45 +0000

We are very excited to have Marcey Brightwell, former News10 political news reporter for KXTV in Sacramento, providing training on how to use the media in advocacy. Ms. Brightwell has asked that each of our 2010 participants complete a brief questionnaire before the training. Click the either of the following links to download the questionnaire: Word Document or PDF Format. After you complete the questionnaire, email or send it back to Ms. Brightwell at the address on the bottom of the questionnaire.

Class of 2010 March Homework

Jim Lockwood — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:33:16 +0000

After each training session, the participants in the Partners in Policymaking program are given homework to complete. The class homework for March is to view the video, We Are Hear to Speak for Justice. The documentary first aired on February 27, 2000 on KCET. Theodore Braun, who has worked on films for HBO, A & E, and the Discovery Channel, produced and directed this story about the people and events that lead to California’s groundbreaking Lanterman Act legislation. To learn more about the video, click here.

CLICK HERE to view the streaming video online. The video is just over an hour long.

PIPCA Graduate Highlight #4

Jim Lockwood — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:31:31 +0000

In 2007, the Sacramento class of Partners in Policymaking California included a participant who was determined to leave her mark on the community and improve things for people with disabilities. Jennifer Allan has never been one to shy away from an opportunity to speak out for what is right, but the Partners training helped her find where she could make the biggest difference in her community.

After graduating from the Partners in Policymaking training, Jennifer applied for, and was appointed to serve on a City of Sacramento committee addressing accessibility planning for the future. Her own newly learned knowledge and own personal experience made her an invaluable part of the city’s planning.

Believing that she had even more to offer, Jennifer applied to serve as a board member on the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. In 2009, Jennifer joined the board of directors for the State Council and now provides leadership through her participation and committee work on a statewide level.

Jennifer continues to show up at nearly every rally and disabilities gathering at the State Capitol and has spoken up for persons with disabilities at state hearings and in meetings with her legislators.

The California Collaborative

Jim Lockwood — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:27:30 +0000

Partners in Policymaking in California is conducted by a collaborative of five nonprofit organizations working together. A representative from each organization serves on the California Collaborative and provides leadership and assistance to the program. Here is a list of the organizations in the Collaborative with links to their websites:

Family Voices of California

California Association of Family Empowerment Centers

The Arc of California

Family Resource Center Network of California

PeopleFirst of California

Visit these websites for more information about each organization and learn about the services and resources they provide.

To learn more about Partners in Policymaking and discover some excellent online videos, training and other resources, visit PartnersinPolicymaking.com.

2010 Partners in Policymaking Class Selected

Jim Lockwood — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:10:22 +0000

In late January 2010, the Partners in Policymaking California Collaborative selected th 36 participants for this year’s training. Nearly 60 applications were received from all across Southern California. As always, the Collaborative worked all day to select a diverse class of participants that will benefit from the nationally recognized program. The following training dates are set for the 2010 sessions to be held in Ontario, California.

March 26-27, 2010
April 23-24, 2010
May 21-22, 2010
June 25-26, 2010
July 23-24, 2010
August 27-28, 2010
September 24-25, 2010

After completing the program, the participants will have received more than 100 hours of advocacy training. They will join the approximate 160 other graduates of the Partners in Policymaking California program. Graduation for the 2010 class will be on September 25th.

PIPCA Graduate Highlight #3

Jim Lockwood — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:57:11 +0000

Joan Crook, parent of a child with a disability, has dedicated much of her life to advocacy work. After completing the Partners in Policymaking training program in Sacramento in 2007, Joan returned to her work as Program Director at Family Resource Center (Care Parent Network) even more committed to make a difference for children with disabilities.

Working with parents in her community, Joan started an advocacy project called Second Tuesday. Second Tuesday is a legislative advocacy group for families that meets once a month (the second Tuesday) to take action on an advocacy issue. Rather than being a group that simply sits around and talks about what they can do, these parents plan a visit to a local legislator every time they meet. On those Tuesdays each month, the parents meet with legislators to discuss the needs of children with disabilities. The group will also have speakers on occasion, but everyone recognizes that the real progress is made during those legislative visits. At a meeting last year, the group had more than 50 family members attend. Because of the tremendous turnout, the meeting had to be broadcast into an adjacent room by webcam so everyone could participate.

The work that Joan has done as a result of the Partners in Policymaking advocacy training has been multiplied many times over through her efforts to train and motivate local families in her own community. Joan also regularly writes letters to her legislators on specific issues.

PIPCA Graduate Highlight #2

Jim Lockwood — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:29:17 +0000

In 2009, Keith Bonchek applied to participate in the Partners in Policymaking program being held in Los Angeles. Keith was selected to attend the program and joined 35 others beginning their advocacy training on March 27, 2009. As an adult with Cerebral Palsy and hearing loss, Keith has been trying to help others advocate for themselves. But he needed the training that would give him the skills and knowledge to really make a difference. With the support of sign language interpreters, Keith completed the training and graduated in October of last year.

Keith speaks locally and nationally as a motivational speaker and self-advocate. He became the outreach coordinator for People First of California, and helps others with disabilities in Southern California. Keith is a member of the North Los Angeles Regional Center board of directors where he is actively involved in improving services to people with disabilities. Keith also serves on the committee for the California Memorial Project. Keith is actively involved in his community and always looking for more ways to help others.

PIPCA Graduate Highlight #1

Jim Lockwood — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:26:52 +0000

In addition to being mom for a houseful of children, including an adopted sibling group of five, LeeAnn Paddock is a staunch advocate for people with disabilities. Three of LeeAnn’s children have a developmental disability. LeeAnn graduated from our 2009 program in Los Angeles.

Immediately after attending the first Partners training in March 2009, LeeAnn made an appointment to meet with Anthony Adams, her state Assembly member. She was successful in meeting with him while he was in the district office. She brought her son to the meeting (as recommended during the training) and discussed her concerns about program service cuts that were recommended in the Governor’s budget proposal. A couple months later, LeeAnn met with staff from State Senator Bob Huff’s office.

It didn’t take long for LeeAnn Paddock to start advocating for the disabilities community the way she had been advocating for her own children for years. LeeAnn is now working to improve things for all people with disabilities, in her spare time…as a very busy mom.

We Now Have More Than 100 Twitter Followers

Jim Lockwood — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:52:05 +0000

On January 17, we added our hundredth follower on our Twitter.com feed. Partners in Policymaking California has been using Twitter to keep advocates information of the latest issues in disability advocacy, as well as update our training participants and graduates on program news. We will continue to update information on our Twitter feed, as well as here on our website. You can also read our Twitter feed right here in the right hand column of the home page. To follow us on Twitter, click http://twitter.com/PIPCA.

2010 Applications

Jim Lockwood — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:41:23 +0000

January 15th is the deadline to submit an application for Partners in Policymaking California’s 2010 training program to be held in Ontario, California. The training will begin on March 26^th, and finish with graduation on September 25^th, 2010. As in past years, the training will be held one weekend each month, on Friday and Saturday. Experts on topics ranging from history of the disability movement to state laws and parliamentary procedure will work with the selected thirty-six participants to prepare them for advocacy work in their local community and on a state and national level. For more information, see our About Us page.

Adults with developmental disabilities and parents of children with developmental disabilities are encouraged to apply for this exciting and comprehensive advocacy training. Applications are available for download at the bottom of this post or directly from our office by calling Jim Lockwood at 916-552-6619, x13 or by email at jim@pipcalifornia.org. Applications may also be completed here on the website. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on January 15^th at the Partners in Policymaking office at 1225 8^th Street, Suite 350, Sacramento, CA 95814. Interested persons may also fax or email their completed applications. Faxed applications should be sent to 916-441-3494. Emails should be sent to jim@pipcalifornia.org.

Thirty-six individuals will be selected to participate in the 2010 training. Participants must be a resident of Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego or Orange County. Applicants will be informed of the participant selection decisions in early February 2010. If you are interested in the 2010 Partners in Policymaking advocacy training, be sure to complete your application early. If you have questions about the training or the application process and procedures, contact Jim Lockwood at 916-233-5019, x13 or jim@pipcalifornia.org.

If you represent an organization that would like to help us distribute applications, speak with Jim Lockwood about receiving copies of the application and program information for distribution. Applications may also be downloaded from the Partners in Policymaking California website at http://www.pipcalifornia.org.

The following are the dates for the 2010 Partners in Policymaking training:

March 26-27, 2010
April 23-24, 2010
May 21-22, 2010
June 25-26, 2010
July 23-24, 2010
August 27-28, 2010
September 24-25, 2010

Click here to download 2010 Application. (Word Document)

Click here to complete the 2010 Application online.