Countywide : Seminars Seek to Empower Disabled

For many disabled people, working with government agencies can quickly become a difficult exercise full of red tape and confusion.

So advocates for the disabled have organized a series of seminars designed to enable disabled people and their families to help set policy and gain a voice on issues that affect them.

“There are so many different rules and laws,” said Rhys Burchill, organizer of the seminars and director of the state’s Developmental Disabilities Board in Orange County. “This gives them the ammunition to get involved in the system that dictates what their lives are like.”

Burchill said the program is important because of how sharply some disabled people are affected by budget cuts and other government actions. Up until now, the disabled have been afforded a limited say in deciding how to focus programs and allocate resources, she said.

The seminars seek to change this by providing the disabled and their families with a series of lectures on how government works and how it can be influenced. Lobbyists and government officials will speak during the fall program.

Another goal of the seminars is to update participants about new techniques for living and working. One lecture will discuss “Supported Living,” a program that allows disabled people to live at home and have a variety of services provided for them, Burchill said.

A trip to Sacramento is also planned.

Burchill said she hopes that the seminars help the disabled look beyond current government support systems and strive to live as independently as possible. “We hope this gets them involved in the whole system,” she said.

The program is funded by a $112,000 federal grant, which will pay for the seminar classes and overnight boarding for participants.

The seminars will take place on Fridays and Saturdays beginning in November. It is open to the disabled or their family members. To apply for one of the 40 available spots, call (714) 731-4787. Applications are due by June 18.