Iowa Advocacy Connection 2015 - Issue 3

ID Action is excited to host its second Make Your Mark! Self-Advocacy Conference October 7-9, 2015 at the Coralville Marriott in Coralville, IA. Register by September 16 to take advantage of several discounted offers.

Early Bird Discount: Register by September 16, 2015, to receive $20 off the regular rate for individuals with a disability and direct care providers/family members attending with an individual with a disability. If you are a professional, you will receive $25 off the regular rate. 

Group Discount: The ID Action conference is intended to bring Iowans with disabilities together to learn and grow as advocates. If you register with a group of five or more, you can take advantage of the group discount and receive your registration fees at a discounted rate. The mission of this conference is to assist participants towards engaging and organizing your community. This is your opportunity to work together to attend the ID Action Self-Advocacy Conference

Find out more information about the ID Action Self-Advocacy Conference and register at www.advocacyuniversity.org. 

The 2015 Make Your Mark! Conference will offer a series of sessions to help Iowans with disabilities build their leadership, storytelling and advocacy skills to become more active in their state and local communities. Here are a few of the sessions. Visit www.advocacyuniversity.org for a full listing of sessions and descriptions.

Storytelling 101 Maureen Korte, a professional storyteller, will take you through the steps to write a story about yourself and your disability, or someone else’s, in order to advocate for yourself and others or to help people understand you better. Maureen will teach you about the use of descriptive phrases, the development of plot and the emotional connections in stories. She will also teach you how to deliver a story in the most effective manner in order to make people want to listen.

Back By Popular Demand! This year we will bring back Peter Leidy. Peter has been learning from people with disabilities since 1983. He is a consultant, facilitator, listener, learner, improviser and speaker who focuses on personalized supports and community membership for people with disabilities. He also writes and sings songs about human service and those who find themselves connected to it. Learn more about Peter on his website (www.peterleidy.com) or watch his entertaining videos on his YouTube channel. Peter will discuss what it truly means to make your mark and how to unlock your creativity to get results and have fun through innovation and improvisation.

Attendees from last year’s conference shared what they learned and why attending the conference was beneficial to their lives. To hear from past attendees, visit www.idaction.org.

Learn how to make the ADA work for you. Know your rights under the ADA, learn common-sense approaches to what the ADA does for people with disabilities and discover how you can advocate for accessibility and inclusion in your community.

In early 2016, Iowans will be in the process of nominating candidates to run in the 2016 general election for president of the United States. Instead of going to the polls, Iowans gather in schools, churches, public libraries or sometimes even homes in their precincts to show their support for the candidates of their choice. The Iowa caucuses are unique in how they operate, so ID Action has created a 2016 Guide to the Iowa Caucuses to get you ready to participate. Get your copy of the guide by visiting www.idaction.org and click on the “Guide to Iowa Caucuses” link on the homepage. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the “Guide to the Iowa Caucuses” please contact ID Action at 866-432-2846.

We want you to get involved in the 2016 Iowa caucuses and the activities leading up to the caucuses. ID Action has created several initiatives to help you get involved.

1. Debate-Watching Party Grants: Get 10 or more of your friends together and have a debate-watching party. Grants of $50 are available to buy food, rent a room or cover other expenses.
2. Caucus Grant (limited number available): Grants of $150 are available for educational workshops, grassroots get-out-the-vote activities, candidate forums or other creative activities that increase interest and involvement in the Iowa caucuses. Have an idea? Contact us now.
3. Online Links: Go to the ID Action website for links to the resources and information you need to help you become a more informed voter and effective advocate. Visit us at www.idaction.org.

ID Action is pleased to host our first Make Your Mark! Video Contest! The contest is a chance for Iowans with disabilities to show others around the state how they are making a difference in their communities. So grab a friend and your phone, tablet or an old video camera and show us how you are making your mark as an advocate and a member of the community!

To Enter
You can enter the contest from now until October 1, 2015. To enter, email your video to us at contactus@idaction.org or send it to us in a message on Facebook. Please include “MYM Video Contest Entry” in the subject line. And remember, no professional videos; we are all amateurs here!

Your video needs to:

• Show how you are making a difference in your community. For example, serving on a board, helping out a neighbor, volunteering or participating in a service club or group.

• Be two minutes or less in duration. No feature length films for this contest!

• Include your name and where you’re from. If you are submitting a video as a group, please include the names of each individual and where each is from. We also ask you to include that information in your email.

If you want to work together on a video, please pick one member of your group to enter the video in the contest and agree to these rules. All entries must be recorded and received by October 1, 2015.

Contest Judging
All of the videos we get will be shown during the Make Your Mark! Conference Kickoff Reception on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. Those at the conference will then vote for their favorite video. The video with the most votes will be the winner and receive the grand prize, which we will announce soon!
Questions: Please contact ID Action at 866-432-2846 or contactus@idaction.org.

Do you want Iowans throughout the state to take advantage of your resources and information?

We know you do, so take advantage of the opportunity to connect with your target audience at the 2015 Make Your Mark! Conference. Exhibits will be open on Thursday, October 8. Sponsorship opportunities are available throughout the conference. To find out more about exhibiting or sponsoring at the conference, please visit www.advocacyuniversity.org.
We hope to see you in October!

ID Action is pleased to present its 2014-2015 Annual Report. To view this report click here.