Empowering Partners aims to raise awareness about the value of self-advocacy and reconvene or strengthen self-advocacy groups throughout the state.
The Arc Maryland, in partnership with People on the Go of Maryland and The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, is excited to announce the launch of Empowering Partners, an outgrowth of the successful Partners in Policymaking® program.
About the Program
Empowering Partners, serves as the foundation for self-advocacy groups in Maryland, with guidance from The Arc Maryland, local chapters, experienced self-advocate facilitators, and program partners. Through the program, self-advocacy groups share centralized discussion topics, activities, and a unified movement to grow from and build on.
People with IDD need to understand advocacy and have a chance to demonstrate it. It is important to educate the next generation who will be in charge of carrying the movement forward.
Aileen O’Hare, Empowering Partners Facilitator
Finding a Self-Advocacy Group Near You
There are currently eight Self-Advocacy Groups supported by Empowering Partners in Maryland, and you can join one near you to improve your advocacy skills! The following Self-Advocacy Groups are supported by Empowering Partners:
- New Hope | Baltimore City and County
- Inspiration Advocates of Carroll County | Carroll County
- Self-Advocates of Frederick County | Frederick County
- People Power | Howard County
- Montgomery County
- People First | Cecil and Harford Counties
- Prince George’s County
- Trailblazers | Washington County
To learn how you can join an Empowering Partners Self-Advocacy Group near you, contact Mat Rice, Director of Public Policy for The Arc Maryland, at mrice@thearcmd.org.
This project was supported, in part by grant number CFDA 93.630, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.