LEND Trainees Attend 2014 Disability Policy Seminar
April 15, 2014
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| Iowa LEND Trainees |
Rachel Nash, LEND Trainee:
Center for Disabilities and Development,
University of Iowa
Caitlin Owens, LEND Trainee:
Center for Disabilities and Development,
University of Iowa
Engage.
AUCD Trainees and disability advocates from across the country came together last week for the annual Disability Policy Seminar held in Washington, D.C. At the Disability Policy Seminar, attendees were armed with the information needed to help educate our Members of Congress and their staff on the priorities of the ID/DD community. One of the most important lessons that we as young professionals learned from the Seminar and Hill Visits was the importance of engaging with the legislative process in order to create change for individuals with disabilities. As a current LEND trainee in the field of public health, I was impressed with the collaboration between the multiple sponsor organizations (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, The Arc, Association of University Centers of Disabilities, National Associations of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, and United Cerebral Palsy). It is rare to see so many groups with differing missions come together to work towards a common goal and bring a united front when working on key policy issues.
The opening presentation entitled Forging a Path Toward Bipartisanship featured such notable panelists as former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, Former U.S. Representative Tony Coelho, and several staff members from the Bipartisan Policy Center. This session highlighted the importance of using commonalities and personal stories to get things done in Congress. The panelists stressed how vital it is to identify new disability champions in both parties, especially with all the new faces in Congress. With several important pieces of legislation coming down the pipeline, such as the ABLE Act and Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, it has never been more important to advocate in a bipartisan manner. In addition, we learned that future legislation which hopes to garner bipartisan support should be developed in a bipartisan manner.
Another highlight of the conference was hearing from the speakers with disabilities who represent the disability community. In particular, Claudia Gordon, who served as the liaison between the disability community and the Obama Administration last year through her post at the White House, delivered an inspiring speech (through sign language) that made each person in the audience feel like they could make a difference as an advocate. A special appearance by Senator Harkin on Monday evening energized the entire audience. He delivered a passionate speech about his steadfast commitment to the disability community and how, even after his retirement from the Senate, he would continue to advocate for things like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Hearing Senator Harkin's feeling of responsibility to advocate regardless of his position reinforced to trainees that we could and should do the same.
The seminar and a preparatory session on Sunday evening from AUCD where we got to practice our legislative visits on AUCD staff both left our trainees feeling prepared and energized for the Capitol Hill Visits on Wednesday. For many of us, this was our first time advocating for something we each care deeply about - the Combating Autism Act. After meeting with the staff of Senators Harkin and Grassley, we were surprised by how accessible the whole process was and encouraged by the fact that each of our voices were heard and taken seriously. LEND is all about becoming leaders, not only in our disciplines, but also in the communities that we serve. The Disability Policy Seminar empowered each of us to take on this role as future leaders in healthcare.
Read another trainee experience from Ashley Coates, Children's Hospital Boston LEND >
