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*DAWN refers to “Disability Advocates: Wisconsin Network”

Grassroots Advocacy Network

Vision/Goal:

5,000 people with disabilities, family members, providers, advocates, and others will be organized into an effective, powerful, statewide, cross-disability, grassroots network focused on local, county, and state legislative issues.
Background:

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act designates advocacy as a priority activity of state Developmental Disabilities Councils. Other states have successfully influenced public policy by mobilizing consumers, families, and others into a statewide, cross-disability network. In Wisconsin, many consumer and advocacy agencies have their own limited networks; however, a statewide, cross-disability, consumer-driven, comprehensive network does not exist.

The Council previously used the Full Citizenship Initiative (FCI) model to organize people with developmental disabilities and their families into a statewide network. Evaluations of FCI identified obstacles to creating a strong network using that model and proposed changes that needed to be made to make the network successful. Key recommendations included timely and consistent information, in-depth skills and issues training, support for local projects, and collaboration among advocacy organizations. The DAWN was designed to include all of these features.
People with developmental disabilities, family members, and providers identified the need for more legislative information, training, and support during the public hearings and in the written survey responses for this State Plan.

Objective:

By 2006, 5,000 people will advocate on issues important to them on the local, county, and state level.

Funding Allocation:

$220,000/year except FFY 2003: $200,000

Collaborators:

Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy, Waisman Center, Arc-Wisconsin, People First, ADAPT, local consumer organizations, Survival Coalition member organizations, provider organizations, community action organizations, etc.

Strategies:

1. Advocacy Network to provide information on the legislative process and on issues

• E-mail network: Timely information sent to consumers and families on issues they choose to work on.
• Website with “how-to” advocacy materials, background information on current issues, legislative alerts, bulletin board to provide 2-way communication, links to web sites of other organizations, etc.
• Annual statewide policy forum to provide more in-depth information on current issues, learn advocacy strategies and network with other advocates
• Regional “town hall” meetings to provide networking opportunities, discuss local issues, provide feedback to network coordinators and steering committee.

2. Leadership Training

Training regional teams in grassroots organizing so they can train local disability leaders in how to organize local coalitions. These regional teams will commit to supporting and offering technical assistance to the local groups in order to maintain them.

3. Support for Grassroots Projects

Small grants and technical assistance to enable advocates to organize and implement local and/or statewide advocacy efforts. Funding is flexible and can be used for a wide range of activities, such as voter registration drives, policy and/or media skills training, legislative breakfasts, advocacy days, etc.

4. Voter Registration and GOTV

Provide training on voter rights and Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) efforts. Develop a database of 20,000 voters concerned with disability issues to use in GOTV efforts during elections.

5. Support for KASA

Provide funding to develop local Kids As Self Advocates (KASA) organizations. KASA will teach youth between the ages of 14 and 24 to better advocate for themselves and provide a social outlet in local communities. Also support a yearly advocacy conference for youth (Gathering of Youth) through this initiative.