The Maine Developmental Disabilities Council encourages people with disabilities, family members, direct support professionals, providers, and other advocates to speak up about all the issues that are important to you.

There are many opportunities for your voices to be heard in debates about public policy at the National, State and Local level.

This section of the website contains links to information about how to contact your Federal, State, and Local elected officials and find out who they are if you do not already know.

Links to information about how to take part in public hearings at the State Legislature, follow the progress of legislation, and learn more about the Legislative process is found here as well.

You can also find links to news sources and, more importantly, how to send letters to the editor, op-ed pieces and story ideas to your local newspapers, radio stations, and television stations.

Finally, links to various e-mail alert systems or information updates is also available here. The Council encourages individuals to take responsibility to remain informed and connected so that you can make your voice heard on the issues that matter to you!

The Maine Disability Advocates Coalition - MEDAC

The Maine Disability Advocates Coalition is a coalition of disability advocacy organizations and individuals who meet every second and fourth Tuesday of each month to discuss the important issues and events of relevance to people with disabilities.

If you cannot attend a meeting in person, but would like to participate by telephone, please call the Council office before the meeting to get the tollfree number and access code to use to join the meeting by phone.

Many but not all MEDAC meetings are held at the Council office. Please sign-up for the MEDAC list serve and/or contact Erin Howes at ehowes@MaineDDC.org or 287-4221 to find out where the next meeting will take place.

Ability Maine has created a listserv and a webpage for MEDAC. The MEDAC listserv allows all participants to send relevant information to all other members. A weekly update providing latest information on legislative issues and meetings is posted to the listserve by the Developmental Disabilities Council every Friday during the state legislative session and at regular intervals during the rest of the year. If you or your organization would like to have information added to this weekly update rather than, or in addition to, sending it directly to the listserv yourself please send the relevant information to ehowes@MaineDDC.org before 5 PM on Thursday during the legislative session to have it included in the weekly update. At times during the year when there is not a weekly update, your information will be included whenever the next update is posted to the listserv..

To join the MEDAC listserv subscribe at medac-subscribe@smartgroups.com.

As mentioned above, Ability Maine also hosts a web page for MEDAC. To visit the MEDAC webpage go to http://www.abilitymaine.org/medac/index.html

 

Disability Advocacy Day

Dates for 2007
January 18
February 1
February 15
March 1
March 15
March 29
April 12
April 26
May 10
May 24
 

Disability Advocacy Day is an ongoing activity organized by the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council.

This program offers the opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and other interested parties to become more familiar and comfortable participating in the legislative process.

Participants will hopefully learn about current issues being considered by the State Legislature that may affect persons with disabilities in some way, and have assistance from team leaders in contacting their own legislators and other policymakers to express their concerns and views. Some participants participate in this program on a regular basis, and are able to get to know their elected officials personally and become mentors for others who wish to speak up for themselves about the important issues of the day. Some participants attend to see the Statehouse for the first time and learn how the legislative process works, but choose to wait for another time to contact their legislators. There is no requirement for any specific action by participants; the program is intended to provide information and assistance when requested.

Disability Advocacy Day takes place every Thursday morning when the State Legislature is in session, beginning at 9 AM. Participants meet in the back room of the cafeteria on the first floor of the Cross State Office Building (the building next door to the Statehouse). We provide information and updates to everyone attending, and answer any questions that participants may have. We will also provide assistance to anyone who wants to write a message to his/her legislator, or make sure they have notes about important points to mention when talking with their legislators. In some cases, we may even do some role-playing exercises to help people practice their message and feel more comfortable with communicating their message to policymakers.

When participants are ready to go and see their legislators, we We then move upstairs to the 3rd floor of the State House and help is provided as needed in locating and contacting so that participants can meet their ownindividual State Representatives and State Senators.

We welcome the opportunity to coordinate with an It is often beneficial for a particular organization or association that would like to co-host a Disability Advocacy Day with the DD Council. If your organization or a group of individuals you represent wish to arrange to do so, such an Advocacy Day please contact Erin Howes at ehowes@MaineDDC.org or 1-800-244-3990. The event can be arranged in any manner that makes the most sense in whatever way will work best for you and your organization.

The Alliance for Full Participation

History of AFP
In December 2003, ten leading organizations serving the developmental disabilities field officially joined together to form the Alliance for Full Participation, LLC. Our objective is full realization of the vision of people with developmental disabilities living meaningful, productive and personally satisfying lives in their community of choice.

The founding members of the Alliance for Full Participation include:

  • American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR)
  • American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR)
  • Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
  • National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD)
  • National Alliance for Director Support Professionals (NADSP)
  • National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS)
  • The Arc of United States
  • The National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS)
  • United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
  • The Council on Quality and leadership/index.htm
  • Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE)

We are united in our commitment to the successful inclusion of people with developmental disabilities into the mainstream of American life. By bringing together the many voices in our organizations dedicated to this cause, we will work together to make this vision a reality.

The Alliance for Full Participation sponsored a national summit September 22-23, 2005, in Washington DC. Summit 2005: Many Voices, One Vision, as an opportunity for all those committed to making the promises inherent in the Developmental Disabilities Act for Americans a reality to come together to dream, plan and organize around a common vision, to establish national strategic social and policy goals, and to create a proactive and responsive action plan for the future.

For more information about the Alliance for Full Participation please go to http://www.affpnet.org/main/.

Advocacy at the State and National Level

There are many opportunities for self-advocates, family members, and others to become involved in the legislative process at the state and Federal level.

This can range from the act of voting to the serious commitment of running for office. Some of the other ways that any citizen can involve him or her self in the process of making laws in Maine and the U.S. include writing letters to the editor, testifying at public hearings, speaking at press conferences, calling, writing, or e-mailing your elected officials, starting petitions for state-wide referendums, suggesting a law to be introduced by your elected officials, or hosting a neighborhood gathering for your local candidates or local elected officials.

For information about who are your elected officials you can go to http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_officials.php

You must know your town or zip code to be able to look up who represents you in Augusta or Washington D.C.

The link above will tell you the name of your State Representative and your State Senator. You will also find their home phone numbers, home mailing address, and e-mail information. It is entirely appropriate to contact your elected officials at home at reasonable hours to discuss where he or she may stand on legislative issues that are important to you and to let them know how you wish them to vote on such issues.

Please always be polite and respectful even when discussing issues about which you may feel very passionate.

You can always leave a message for your State Representative by calling 1-800-423-2900

And for your State Senator 1-800-423-6900

Important Links

Maine Legislature Home Page
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/

Office of Legislative Information
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/lio/

Senate Home Page
http://www.state.me.us/legis/senate/homepage.htm

House of Representatives Home Page
http://janus.state.me.us/house/homepage.htm

Governor's Website
http://www.maine.gov/governor/baldacci/index.shtml

Joint Standing Committees of the Legislature
http://janus.state.me.us/house/jtcomlst.htm

Check Bill Status
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/search.asp

Find Bills by Key Words
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/

Advance Notice of Public Hearings
http://www.state.me.us/legis/senate/Documents/hearing/ANPHFrame.htm

Sign up to receive Advance Notice of Public Hearings
webmaster_senate@legislature

Public Hearing Schedule
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/lio/phSched.asp

Work Session Schedule
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/lio/wkSched.asp

Weekly Legislative Calendar
http://janus.state.me.us/house/wlc_list.htm

Maine Statutes
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/

Search Maine Statutes
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/search.asp

Maine Legislature Audio Broadcasts
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/audio/

Federal website for election day accessibility comments and complaints
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting