Partners in Policymaking Leadership Institute

Partners in Policymaking

• Are you a person with a developmental disability? (Read the definition of developmental disability here)
• Are you a parent/guardian/family member of someone with a developmental disability or other combined disabilities?
• Would you like to work for real change for people with disabilities in your community and the state?

Then Partners in Policymaking® – from the Council on Developmental Disabilities – may be what you need! 

Partners in Policymaking® is the Council’s free leadership and advocacy training program for adults with disabilities and family members of people with disabilities.  We’ve provided this 7-month series since 1993. Hundreds of graduates have gone on to do big things all across Tennessee.

You’ll learn from state and national experts on topics like:

• Disability services and how to access them
• New and innovative programs and ideas
• Disability policies and practices and how they affect our lives 
• Storytelling and media skills

If you are selected, you commit to:

• Attending all sessions
• Completing brief homework assignments
• Networking with other people with disabilities and family members in your class

Once all applications are reviewed, chosen participants will be notified via email.

For more information, contact Cathlyn Smith, Director of Leadership Development, at cathlyn.k.smith@tn.gov or 615-532-6556.

Check out the videos below to hear from our Partners graduates about how going through this training benefitted them.