By MEL HYMAN
PEF member Donna Swart has taken her concern for the
disabled to the next level.
A habilitation specialist with the state Developmental
Disabilities Services Office, she has 20 years of state
service, but is no longer content to stop there.
Thanks to the New York State Partners in
Policymaking program she recently completed in Albany,
she’s now a volunteer advocate for the disabled. The
program teaches New Yorkers who are disabled and their
families to advocate effectively for better services and
public policies.
Swart is also the mother of an adult son with a
developmental disability. So, when the opportunity came
up to enroll in the Partners program, she did not
hesitate.
A steward in PEF Division 246 at Fingerlakes
Developmental Disabilities Services Office, Swart is also
a PEF member mobilizer in Region 3.
Everyone’s needs matter
Swart wants more than just a better life for her son. She
feels strongly that the needs of all people with
disabilities should be met.
Those needs range from obtaining desirable living
situations to enrolling in suitable educational programs.
However, shortfalls can occur at any level, according to
Swart.
For example: “Some school districts act as if they
have no idea what they’re supposed to do for their
students with disabilities. Or they don’t let the
parents know what should be done for a student,”
Swart says.
As a parent and as someone who has worked with people
with disabilities for so many years, she has found they
usually prefer to live in regular neighborhoods, if they
can. And they want to be educated in “regular,
neighborhood school systems.”
Ready to speak out
Swart considers the Partners in Policymaking
eight-session training program a valuable tool for
helping disabled people reach these goals.
The program briefs participants on the history of how
people with developmental disabilities have been treated
over the years. Then it teaches them about the current
laws regarding education, housing and day programs.
Most important, says Swart, is the way the program
teaches you how to change the system to get the
improvements you want. For instance, she learned the best
ways to contact legislators and how to testify before a
legislative panel.
And the program empowers participants with the
self-confidence and determination to make themselves
heard.
Since she completed the course a few months ago, Swart
says she has begun contacting her representatives in the
state Legislature to start educating them about the needs
and issues of the disabled.
Approximately 8,000 people nationwide have taken part in
the Partners in Policymaking program since it started in
1991.
Swart says last year’s New York graduates plan to
stay in touch through a phone tree. And because they
found the experience so rewarding, they plan to get
together annually for informational updates and support.
For more information about Partners in Policymaking, call
the NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council in
Albany at 1-800-395-3372.
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