Webinar- Advocacy: They Have It. You Want it! Now What? (The Arc of Northern Virginia) June 20 at 10:00am

Description:

Families having a child with a disability are often confused, overwhelmed and frustrated about obtaining all appropriate programs, rights, entitlements and services. There are many emotions involved in dealing with “The powers that be” who seem to have all the power of providing the needed interventions. We will try to provide strategies, words, information and confidence so the parent/caregiver can become the best possible advocate for the child. This session will also help support professionals gain those same skills. Ultimately those skills will hopefully be transferred to the person with the disability to be a successful self-advocate.

The session will be interactive with participants offering strategies that have worked for them in obtaining appropriate services. They will share concrete experiences that demonstrate when they have been successful in advocating as well as failures as we learn from both.

Participants will gain concrete strategies and obtain the knowledge needed to confidently approach any entity having the power to provide the needed services, rights, entitlements and programs for a child, teenager or adult with a disability. We will learn correct and appropriate terminology so that we can enter into such situations with confidence and advocacy skills to get the job done. We will learn ways to motivate those “powers that be” to provide us with our desired goals.

As a result, each participant will learn how to navigate the barriers to obtaining what is needed for the child, teen or adult with a disability by learning about appropriate terminology, strategies and laws to support their goals. Ultimately we hope you will leave armed with more confidence and skills in approaching any entity to get what is needed.

Gary Shulman has been helping families of children with disabilities for almost 50 years. Gary will share his experiences as well in advocating for thousands of families throughout his 50 year career. His workshops are fun, educational, interactive and hopeful.