Breaking Ground 114 - Call for Your Stories
30 Years of Partners in Policymaking® in TN: Share Your Stories with Us
Our first TN Partners in Policymaking class started in 1993 and graduated in 1994. Ever since, graduates of this Council program (first created by the Minnesota Council on Developmental Disabilities) have been leading the work for change for people with disabilities in our state.
If you’re one of our 600+ graduates, we want to hear from you at TNDDC@tn.gov, no matter when you went through the program.
What have you been up to since graduation?
Send us your stories about:
- Policy issues you’re working on now or worked on in the past.
- Leadership roles you’ve had recently. (They don’t have to be disability-specific!)
- Other ways you’ve worked for change in your community.
- How your advocacy and leadership growth helped you or your loved ones speak up more.
- How you've connected with others in your class or in the Partners network to support one another.
We'll be sharing your success stories throughout 2023-2024. Follow us and share the stories with your own networks. (We're on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn).
Join the conversation by posting your own stories and photos using the hashtag #PartnersTN30!
Readers: Calling for YOUR Story!
You read this magazine for information and stories about the disability experience in Tennessee. Now you could be featured!
The TN Council on Developmental Disabilities is looking for stories on the following topics:
- Behavior supports that work – Stories of people with disabilities of all ages getting support when their behavior is communicating unmet needs. (See more info about this topic here.)
- Real inclusion – Stories of creative approaches to true inclusion in your community, such as at church, in community activities (like regular dance, sports, art classes) and more. Where in your community are you experiencing inclusion? (See story “Inclusion Matters” later in this issue for a great explanation of how to define true inclusion!)
- What happens after I apply? – A new series in this magazine will use your stories to explain the enrollment process for our state’s major disability programs, such as:
If you applied for a disability service program within the past 2 years, we’d love to hear your experience. Let us know you’re interested, and we will send some guiding questions for you to answer.
How to share your story
Email your experience on one or more of the topics above to: TNDDC@tn.gov. Your response could appear here in Breaking Ground or in our monthly Council News (email newsletter).