Grassroots Advocacy with the Tennessee Disability Coalition Sylvia

Grassroots Advocacy with the Tennessee Disability Coalition Sylvia Stenger, OTD/S Belmont University School of Occupational Therapy Mission & Vision Identified Needs Mission “The Tennessee Disability Coalition is an alliance of organizations and individuals joined to promote the full and equal participation of people with 1 disabilities in all aspects of life. ” § Consumer feedback regarding Employment & Community First (ECF) CHOICES Program 3 to be used for advocating to Tenn. Care & Department of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (DIDD). § Provide DIDD with families’ feedback and recommendations ahead of DIDD integration occurring in 2021. § Use families’ experiences with the ECF CHOICES Program to inform advocacy initiatives as the newly opened Katie Beckett (KB) Program begins enrolling individuals. Vision “Tennessee’s communities are fully accessible to all individuals with disabilities and their families. All community members have the freedom and opportunity to exercise individual decisions concerning their own lives, welfare and personal dignity”. 2 Outcomes Goals § Develop a comprehensive understanding of the process and effectiveness of advocacy. § Further develop professional communication skills. § Develop a cultural awareness of families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. § Conduct interviews to gather family feedback on group 4 of the ECF CHOICES Program. § Craft summary reports and a presentation to be used for advocating to the appropriate stakeholders. § Create an online format for sharing findings. § Create a tool for future students or staff to complete similar feedback initiatives. § § § § Advocated for ECF CHOICES families by: Submitting a summary report on families’ feedback & 28 recommendations to Tenn. Care & Managed Care Organizations. Submitting a report with 17 recommendations to DIDD. Crafting a report with 13 relevant recommendations for advocacy efforts with the KB Program. Presenting findings to ECF CHOICES families via a webinar. Crafting a social media post and sharing findings via TDC’s social media account. Creating an advocacy guide to assist future students or staff in feedback gathering initiatives. Development of a comprehensive understanding of grassroots advocacy and its effectiveness as demonstrated through a critical reflection essay. Acknowledgements • This project would not have been possible without the support, guidance and flexibility from Dr. Elena Espiritu, OTD, OTR/L (faculty mentor), Donna De. Stefano, Assistant Director (expert mentor), Carol Westlake (Executive Director, TDC), the TDC staff, the Coalition’s Partner Agencies, and the families in the ECF CHOICES Program. • Thank you to all who participated, supported, and inspired me throughout this experience. • References available upon request (sylvia. d. alsup@gmail. com).