Closing the services gap Two programs aim to help disabled adults and children

[Guest guest]

Closing the services gap

Two programs aim to help disabled adults and children reach their goals BY

STACY HAWKINS ADAMS

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 03, 2002

FOR HELP

CALL: Partners in Policymaking at (804) 786-0016 or (800) 846-4464. Or

Virginia is For Families, Parent to Parent of Virginia at (804) 222-1945.

CLICK: Partners in Policymaking at <A

HREF= " http://www.vaboard.org/ " >www.vaboard.org</A>

Of the estimated 100,000 Virginians with disabilities, only about 23,000

regularly receive services from the state or in their communities.Virginia

ranks 45th out of 50 states in funding services in the community for the

disabled, according to a national study.That gap is obvious to parents

struggling to obtain care for their children. And to adults with disabilities

who desire independence but aren't equipped to achieve it.Two state-run

programs aim to help both groups reach their goals.Partners in Policymaking

has worked since 1995 to empower groups of young adults with disabilities, as

well as the parents of young children with disabilities, to advocate for

themselves.Virginia is For Families, a program operated by the Virginia

Institute for Developmental Disabilities, provides a similar focus on

advocacy.Henrico County resident Dana Yarbrough has ties to both. " Partners is

a great training ground for parents and individuals with disabilities,

teaching them that one voice can make a difference, " said Yarbrough, who

participated in the 1996 class to learn how to help her now 7-year-old

daughter. " Virginia is For Families is a great way for Partners [graduates] to

practice what they've learned. We get parents to come to a table and think

about what Virginia's disability policy should look like. " Partners in

Policymaking selects about 30 state residents each year to take part in

monthly weekend sessions September through May. " We're teaching them things

from assertiveness to group dynamics to how to testify during public sessions

and meetings, " said Parsons, director of the Virginia Board for People

with Disabilities. The state board operates the Partners program. " When they

come out on the other end of this pipeline, they are really

well-equipped. " The students also leave with optimism, Parsons said. " One of

the biggest challenges people face is this whole array of agencies and

service providers that they'll have to interact with, " he said. " They don't

know how to put the pieces together so they can have the kind of life they

want. We try to give participants a broad knowledge of how to advocate for

themselves in a constructive way. " Richmonder Vicki Beatty is member of the

current Partners class and already has learned that value. " The first three

years of his life, I spent a minimum of 20 hours a week fighting for services

in my health insurance contract, " Beatty said of her 6-year-old son, .

He has severe developmental delays that prevent him from walking, talking and

feeding himself. " It can be very easy to go out there and scream, 'I need

this!' and you don't get good results, " Beatty said. " [Partners] is enabling

me to have a whole lot of firepower and information, and to advocate for my

child and the disability community in a positive way. " Yarbrough has gone on

to lead Virginia is For Families, through which she has conducted advocacy

training around the state.The program recently recruited a panel of

professionals and parents to collaborate on designing guidelines for state

policy and regulations that reflect the needs and desires of disabled

Virginians.Yarbrough wouldn't have envisioned herself in such a role before

her daughter was born with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a visual

impairment.Now, however, she is adept at speaking before Congress,

questioning doctors' advice and pushing for more equitable state policies.

Contact Hawkins at (804) 649-6578 or <A

HREF= " mailto:sadams@... " >sadams@...</A>

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