Easter Seals — Developmental Disabilities Policy Fellow

Project Objective
The goal of this project is to increase the number of Policy Fellows who will become effective advocates for Texans with developmental disabilities. Focusing on child care and special education, the Fellow will lead to systems change so that people with developmental disabilities will have greater control over their own lives. After the fellow has been hired and trained by Easter Seals personnel, the Fellow will create, disseminate and analyze a survey on inclusive childcare and preschool for Texas children with disabilities. The Fellow will continue to advance self-advocacy and community advocacy among people with disabilities, families, and interested community members, building on the work Easter Seals is already doing; the Fellow will recruit and train self-advocates, including young people who have been through the affected programs and family members on an ongoing basis; present at one or more of the large group advocacy training developed by Easter Seals; and with the help of the mentor, the Fellow will evaluate childcare and preschool policies to determine the best way to include inclusion through recommendations for the upcoming legislative session. The Fellow will advocate directly to the needs of Texans with disabilities at hearings and advisory committee meetings, and during legislative office visits, as well as create informational training and self-advocacy materials to present at community events, training and conferences.

• Funding Reference
• RFP: TCDD Policy Fellows Needed to Impact Advocacy
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State Plan Goal 3
Goal 3: Promote Advocacy Including Self Advocacy – Increase the access that individuals with developmental disabilities and families of individuals with developmental disabilities have to information, training, and support to advocate for themselves and/or to collaborate with allies to impact public policy, service systems, and community supports.

Objective 3.2: Support people with developmental disabilities to provide leadership development and advocacy skills training programs to people with developmental disabilities each year by 9/30/2021.