Programs:

Partners in Policymaking

Inspiring a brighter future for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Interested in becoming a leader in your community? Partners in Policymaking is for you. Partners in Policymaking is a leadership-training program designed for parents of young children with developmental disabilities and adults with disabilities. The program teaches leadership skills, and the process of developing positive partnerships with elected officials, school personnel and other individuals who make the policy decisions about services that you or your family use.

Partners is about systems change – creating, working towards, and achieving a vision of shared values about people with disabilities. It is based on the belief that the most effective and enduring public policy decisions are made by the people who need and use services in partnership with elected officials, school personnel and other policymakers. It is about all people with disabilities being included in their communities. It is about becoming confident in yourself, competent in the knowledge and information you will receive, and comfortable in sharing the life experiences and expertise you bring to the program.

Partners in Policymaking seeks a diverse group of highly motivated and enthusiastic men and women to participate in the Partners in Policymaking Program.

The Partners in Policymaking vision is to recruit participants who come from every part of Maryland and who represent many different types of developmental disabilities. We look for individuals and parents who have or have not held a leadership position in a support group or disability organization. We encourage applications from young adults with disabilities who have been involved in self-advocacy or are interested in becoming leaders in the disability movement. Classes form in August for start date in September; we welcome all inquiries all year long!

Candidates must be interested in advocating for themselves and for others.

Candidates must commit to completing all assignments and attending all meetings. You will have the opportunity to develop and complete a project that lets you use your new-found skills and learning. One such project is a website resource designed by several classmates in the 2006 class: http://www.providinghands.com/ .

The Partners in Policymaking Program is free for applicants accepted into the program. Overnight hotel accommodations, meals, materials, and speakers are paid for by the program. Because participants are actually receiving a “scholarship,” we select only those with a commitment to completing all assignments and attending all meetings.

Candidates must be interested in advocating
for the inclusion of all people with disabilities.

For more information, please visit:
• Photos
• Online Application (PDF)
• Partner's Brochure (PDF)
• Contact Information

  The Arc of Maryland Partners in Policymaking
  49 Old Solomons Island Road, Suite 205
  Annapolis, Maryland 21401
  info@thearcmd.org
  410-571-9320 (Annapolis)
  410-974-6139 (Baltimore)
  410-974-6021 (Fax)

  For information on the national Partners in Policymaking Program and contact information for other states visit www.partnersinpolicymaking.com.

  For information on resources, visit the Maryland Partners in Policy Class of 2006 Disability Resource and Information Page Providing Hands.

Back to top