0:00:01.015,0:00:11.023
[music]

0:00:11.023,0:00:13.006
[male voice] They come one by one,

0:00:13.006,0:00:15.005
all seeking answers to puzzling questions

0:00:15.005,0:00:17.020
and ways of coping with the uncertainties

0:00:17.020,0:00:19.046
and challenges that life can bring.

0:00:19.046,0:00:22.056
Almost universally, they leave with new optimism

0:00:22.056,0:00:24.046
and new tools to help them deal with the issues

0:00:24.046,0:00:27.026
of concern. They are people with intellectual

0:00:27.026,0:00:29.033
and developmental disabilities

0:00:29.033,0:00:31.089
or the parents of children with disabilities

0:00:31.089,0:00:33.059
and most have felt the frustration and pain

0:00:33.059,0:00:35.076
of struggling to deal with the system.

0:00:35.076,0:00:38.009
These individuals have come to Partners

0:00:38.009,0:00:39.084
in Policymaking and their needs

0:00:39.084,0:00:41.082
and circumstances vary.

0:00:41.082,0:00:44.008
But all have sought ways to find new answers

0:00:44.008,0:00:45.098
and to bring about change.

0:00:45.098,0:00:47.075
They learn how to make their voices heard

0:00:47.075,0:00:50.014
to play a role in policy development.

0:00:50.014,0:00:53.043
Wanda Mills has lived with difficult disabilities

0:00:53.043,0:00:55.079
for much of her life, but persevered

0:00:55.079,0:00:57.040
and went on to employment

0:00:57.040,0:00:58.099
with the tax department in the town of Sylva

0:00:58.099,0:01:01.079
When her parents passed on, she moved to

0:01:01.079,0:01:04.022
her own residence, cooks all her own meals

0:01:04.022,0:01:05.090
and maintains the household.

0:01:05.090,0:01:07.094
She credits the Partners program

0:01:07.094,0:01:10.031
with helping her to interact in the community.

0:01:10.031,0:01:16.057
It has changed my life completely.

0:01:16.057,0:01:26.012
I have always wanted to be a public speaker.

0:01:26.012,0:01:31.054
and that was a crazy idea,

0:01:31.054,0:01:40.003
but Partners helped me realize that I could

0:01:40.003,0:01:45.027
be a public speaker.

0:01:45.027,0:01:53.081
That has always been a life dream of mine.

0:01:53.081,0:02:01.002
From my perspective, it is to help

0:02:01.002,0:02:09.026
parents of children with disabilities

0:02:09.026,0:02:17.054
to not put their child in a box,

0:02:17.054,0:02:23.071
but let them be all they can be,

0:02:23.071,0:02:30.053
however little though that may be.

0:02:30.053,0:02:33.085
That is so important.

0:02:33.085,0:02:36.012
[male voice] Wanda is increasingly speaking out

0:02:36.012,0:02:38.065
on issues of concern to people with disabilities

0:02:38.065,0:02:40.076
addressing groups in a number of North Carolina

0:02:40.076,0:02:44.016
communities. The Partners program director,

0:02:44.016,0:02:46.058
Deborah Whitfield, an attorney who herself

0:02:46.058,0:02:48.070
is a graduate of the program in Texas understands

0:02:48.070,0:02:51.051
the growth process and now keeps the proceedings

0:02:51.051,0:02:55.004
on track in North Carolina.

0:02:55.004,0:02:58.023
There are some challenges, people who believe, that

0:02:58.023,0:03:00.022
you know they can't do it because many of them

0:03:00.022,0:03:02.043
haven't left their own communities.

0:03:02.043,0:03:04.098
Many have never gotten on public transportation.

0:03:04.098,0:03:08.022
Many have not even lived in a hotel room.

0:03:08.022,0:03:11.081
So when you see those individuals

0:03:11.081,0:03:13.032
who come to this training for the first time,

0:03:13.032,0:03:15.075
get that experience and soar

0:03:15.075,0:03:19.000
it is a delight to be a part of that process.

0:03:19.000,0:03:21.025
[male voice] The creator of the Partners advocacy

0:03:21.025,0:03:23.077
program, Dr. Colleen Wieck, of Minnesota,

0:03:23.077,0:03:25.087
said it was prompted by a specific need

0:03:25.087,0:03:27.087
and then grew from there.

0:03:28.083,0:03:32.030
The last witness at the 3-hour hearing was

0:03:32.030,0:03:34.020
a young parent from International Falls,

0:03:34.020,0:03:37.012
Minnesota. And, everyone was giving her

0:03:37.012,0:03:39.057
mixed messages about what to do to testify

0:03:39.057,0:03:42.066
in front of U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger

0:03:42.066,0:03:45.063
And, after that hearing, two of us got together

0:03:45.063,0:03:48.043
and we realized, we could teach the skill

0:03:48.043,0:03:51.033
that was missing. And, we could do this

0:03:51.033,0:03:53.043
in a systematic way, as well as

0:03:53.043,0:03:57.012
teach best practices about disability services.

0:03:57.012,0:04:00.028
And, as a result, we created this

0:04:00.028,0:04:03.005
eight weekend program that's designed to teach

0:04:03.005,0:04:05.064
both- what is best practice

0:04:05.064,0:04:08.030
in education, assistive technology, living

0:04:08.030,0:04:11.015
and employment, as well as how to communicate

0:04:11.015,0:04:14.013
with local, state and federal officials.

0:04:14.013,0:04:16.037
[narrator voice] Because the need for people with

0:04:16.037,0:04:17.086
intellectual and developmental disabilities

0:04:17.086,0:04:19.057
to advocate for themselves

0:04:19.057,0:04:21.077
is not limited by boundaries, Partners programs

0:04:21.077,0:04:24.013
are being conducted in most states

0:04:24.013,0:04:26.019
in the U.S., and a number of foreign countries.

0:04:26.019,0:04:28.096
The individual needs vary, but there are

0:04:28.096,0:04:30.037
some common themes.

0:04:30.037,0:04:32.094
The desire for full inclusion often rises to the top.

0:04:34.009,0:04:38.038
I think that the tips and the tools that you learn

0:04:38.038,0:04:43.008
about advocating for yourself or for others

0:04:43.008,0:04:49.045
are great. You can use them for any disability

0:04:49.045,0:04:52.079
Being a blind person, I come against

0:04:52.079,0:04:55.052
things all the time as far as

0:04:55.052,0:05:02.018
what I can and can't do because

0:05:02.018,0:05:05.066
I'm blind. They don't know what I can and can't do

0:05:05.066,0:05:07.071
because they don't want to give you a chance.

0:05:07.071,0:05:09.042
You have to speak up for yourself,

0:05:09.042,0:05:11.029
so I learned to be more assertive.

0:05:11.029,0:05:16.066
speak up for myself and sell myself. I have

0:05:16.066,0:05:18.014
to do that.

0:05:18.014,0:05:19.048
[narrator voice] While many graduates

0:05:19.048,0:05:21.007
focus on issues of housing

0:05:21.007,0:05:22.061
and employment, Doug Hedrick

0:05:22.061,0:05:24.074
has zeroed in on respect, campaigning

0:05:24.074,0:05:26.093
for the use of language that sees individuals

0:05:26.093,0:05:30.021
with disabilities as people. The father of a son

0:05:30.021,0:05:32.068
with autism, Hedrick went before the board of his

0:05:32.068,0:05:35.042
local school district and got action.

0:05:35.042,0:05:39.017
The eight month program gives you a lot of tools in

0:05:39.017,0:05:42.087
your toolbelt, and I'm just starting to use

0:05:42.087,0:05:44.059
a few of them.

0:05:44.059,0:05:47.070
Some of the ones that I've used is being able to

0:05:47.070,0:05:51.067
speak to school boards and facilitating

0:05:51.067,0:05:54.069
a People First language policy.

0:05:54.069,0:05:59.016
What Partners asked me to do, in the course, was

0:05:59.016,0:06:02.094
to change or create policies, and I saw

0:06:02.094,0:06:04.095
an opportunity with my school board in Burke

0:06:04.095,0:06:08.033
County to say, let's use a People First

0:06:08.033,0:06:11.013
language policy let's adopt that.

0:06:11.013,0:06:13.092
And the interesting thing is ...

0:06:14.030,0:06:16.031
and this is what I've learned in Partners.

0:06:16.031,0:06:20.001
When you explain this to people.

0:06:20.001,0:06:22.039
people generally do the right thing.

0:06:22.039,0:06:26.022
People want to facilitate change

0:06:26.022,0:06:29.046
if it's the right thing, and using a People First

0:06:29.046,0:06:34.069
language policy is just a very good thing.

0:06:34.069,0:06:38.061
And they adopted this policy last year,

0:06:38.061,0:06:42.762
and they're using it today.

0:06:42.762,0:06:44.811
[male narrator] Others have joined Hedrick

0:06:44.811,0:06:47.127
as advocates of people first language

0:06:47.127,0:06:49.273
a movement that has been supported

0:06:49.273,0:06:50.481
and pressed by the North Carolina

0:06:50.481,0:06:53.073
Council on Developmental Disabilities

0:06:53.073,0:06:54.819
Together with other Partners graduates, Hedrick

0:06:54.819,0:06:56.796
has helped push for People First language

0:06:56.796,0:06:59.219
with webinars, telling supporters how they can

0:06:59.219,0:07:00.951
carry the message to their own communities.

0:07:00.951,0:07:04.881
They are demonstrating leadership in their

0:07:04.881,0:07:06.718
communities, as many Partners graduates do.

0:07:06.718,0:07:09.049
Debra Wilson completed the program

0:07:09.049,0:07:11.287
and later was named a member of the

0:07:11.287,0:07:12.926
North Carolina Council

0:07:12.926,0:07:14.672
on Developmental Disabilities. She came to

0:07:14.672,0:07:17.895
Partners when she was struggling to find ways

0:07:17.895,0:07:19.841
of opening up workable education pathways

0:07:19.841,0:07:21.993
for her daughter who has a visual impairment.

0:07:21.993,0:07:25.662
We were having difficulties with our Onslow County

0:07:25.662,0:07:28.362
school system where we live, and she was having

0:07:28.362,0:07:33.788
to travel about two hours on a weekly basis

0:07:33.788,0:07:37.611
just to be able to attend school and having

0:07:37.657,0:07:40.034
to live somewhere besides her home environment.

0:07:40.049,0:07:44.837
And, someone told me about Partners

0:07:44.837,0:07:47.429
and asked if I thought I would be interested. And I

0:07:47.429,0:07:49.960
didn't know anything about Partners at the time.

0:07:49.960,0:07:53.956
And what happened was ultimately learning

0:07:53.956,0:07:58.373
and being able to meet the people that Partners

0:07:58.373,0:08:01.915
[laughs] It's almost like they pull them out of a hat but

0:08:01.915,0:08:04.215
they're absolutely fantastic.

0:08:04.215,0:08:07.098
And those people were able to show us

0:08:07.098,0:08:09.693
not only knowledge but give us the power,

0:08:09.693,0:08:12.687
show us power that we actually had, that we

0:08:12.687,0:08:15.726
could change and make a difference to bring our

0:08:15.726,0:08:18.322
children either home, in our case,

0:08:18.322,0:08:20.280
or do what needed to be done so that

0:08:20.280,0:08:23.243
they could get education. In every situation

0:08:23.243,0:08:27.102
for us, and that's just being parents of our children

0:08:27.102,0:08:28.688
with a disability.

0:08:28.688,0:08:29.911
[male narrator] One young graduate

0:08:29.911,0:08:33.011
of the program, self-advocate David Chatterton

0:08:33.011,0:08:34.403
feels that the Partners program has been

0:08:34.403,0:08:36.890
a great experience, and helped in preparing

0:08:36.890,0:08:39.024
him for a career.

0:08:39.024,0:08:43.447
I went into Partners because I wanted to meet

0:08:43.447,0:08:46.416
new people, but also, I just kind of wanted to

0:08:46.416,0:08:50.041
make a change in my life and to kind of get

0:08:50.044,0:08:54.338
a strong sense of you know not letting people

0:08:54.338,0:08:57.884
put you down, and what not. It was

0:08:57.884,0:08:59.799
overwhelming, just because it goes deeper

0:08:59.799,0:09:02.053
into the whole disability area.

0:09:02.053,0:09:10.433
I love to educate myself. I love that others educate

0:09:10.433,0:09:13.046
me as well. So, going into Partners, you meet a lot

0:09:13.046,0:09:15.284
of people that share a lot of the same visions as you.

0:09:15.284,0:09:18.896
[male narrator] David is now looking to the future

0:09:18.896,0:09:21.165
to continue his education, pursue a career

0:09:21.165,0:09:23.173
and use his advocacy skills.

0:09:23.173,0:09:25.628
Nurturing leadership and advocacy, and providing

0:09:25.628,0:09:27.866
the voices of the future for people with

0:09:27.866,0:09:30.289
intellectual and developmental disabilities

0:09:30.289,0:09:34.724
is a primary purpose of Partners in Policymaking

0:09:34.724,0:09:37.132
Holly Riddle, the executive director of the

0:09:37.132,0:09:40.124
North Carolina Council, says it is a strong

0:09:40.124,0:09:42.424
supporter and funder of the program.

0:09:42.424,0:09:46.001
Many boards, commissions, committees, offices

0:09:46.001,0:09:50.220
are staffed or are joined by Partners in Policymaking

0:09:50.220,0:09:52.851
graduates. When people come to Partners, they

0:09:52.851,0:09:57.705
are the finest leaders that we get application from

0:09:57.705,0:10:00.354
and when they come out, they can't be beat.

0:10:00.354,0:10:05.739
It has always been the case that it is from individuals

0:10:05.739,0:10:09.815
with disabilities and families that innovations come.

0:10:09.815,0:10:12.467
When you're that close to the life of someone

0:10:12.467,0:10:17.775
or when it is your own life, you think on your feet

0:10:17.775,0:10:22.646
so many of the ideas that inform the field today

0:10:22.646,0:10:25.524
at a systems level began in someone's living room

0:10:25.524,0:10:30.249
in a classroom with an individual, or with a family

0:10:30.249,0:10:34.876
many of them Partners in Policymaking graduates.

0:10:34.876,0:10:36.699
[male narrator] There remains a challenging road

0:10:36.699,0:10:39.629
ahead for people with intellectual and developmental

0:10:39.629,0:10:42.663
disabilities, and the hope for change lies in improving

0:10:42.663,0:10:45.194
the policies and systems designed to support

0:10:45.194,0:10:48.381
and encourage these individuals and their families.

0:10:48.381,0:10:50.192
It is people, such as the graduates of the

0:10:50.192,0:10:54.076
Partners in Policymaking program who

0:10:54.076,0:10:55.730
will bring about that system change.

0:10:55.730,0:10:59.282
And after Partners, became empowered,

0:10:59.282,0:11:02.074
and knowledge is power.

0:11:02.074,0:11:07.130
And once that happened, the bitterness,

0:11:07.130,0:11:14.378
the anger- it left. And now you learn, you know

0:11:14.378,0:11:17.437
that people are people, and you learn how to deal

0:11:17.437,0:11:20.484
with every different person there is in every

0:11:20.484,0:11:30.747
situation. And those situations, they need to be

0:11:30.747,0:11:33.953
used to help benefit, not only my child

0:11:33.953,0:11:36.684
and my daughter, but they need to be used

0:11:36.684,0:11:40.234
to benefit all disabilities, all disabilities.

0:11:40.234,0:11:44.292
And everything that I can do and everything

0:11:44.292,0:11:48.357
I've learned is important so that I keep my anger

0:11:48.357,0:11:51.474
out of it, that it's not about the people

0:11:51.474,0:11:55.236
it's about situations that we need to resolve

0:11:55.236,0:11:58.136
and how we can go about doing those things,

0:11:58.136,0:12:01.240
and, there again, the more knowledge you have

0:12:01.240,0:12:04.110
the more power you have, which ultimately

0:12:04.110,0:12:07.039
can make a change, and that's what it's about.

0:12:07.048,0:12:10.588
[male narrator] Partners in Policymaking, a program

0:12:10.588,0:12:14.001
to educate and to motivate, a program of action

0:12:14.001,0:12:17.041
a program for the future.

0:12:17.041,0:12:28.706
[music]