Form a New
Coalition
Sections
- Purpose of County "People Can't Wait' Coalitions
- Reasons for Forming Coalitions at the County Level
- Potential County "People Can't Wait" Coalition Members
- Core Activities of All County "People Can't Wait" Coalitions
- Typically Needed Logistical Support
- Contact the Coalitions
Purpose of County "People Can't Wait' Coalitions
To be the local component of a solid, sustainable cross-disability advocacy movement in which people with disabilities, family members, advocates and others who choose to work in support of people with disabilities become and remain a powerful voice for a system of public and community support consistent with our vision.
The "People Can't Wait" Campaign was created by the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations, a statewide coalition of disability organizations. The Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations will promote conditions in which all people with disabilities in Wisconsin:
- Will receive the supports they need,
- Can choose to live their lives as they wish, and
- Will have the opportunity to be full participants in community life.
Reasons for Forming Coalitions at the County Level
- Counties are the primary organizing unit in Wisconsin for providing support to people with disabilities and their families;
- Presence in many counties of advocacy groups (e.g. Arcs, People First Chapters) and committees (e.g., Family Support Advisory Committee) which lend themselves to local coalition building;
- Relative ease in connecting to and supporting people with disabilities and families as advocates and leaders
- Information on service and support needs is organized at the county level;
- Importance of connecting with local communities;
- Importance of connecting with local media;
- Potential for logistical, informational, and advocacy support from county administrators and county elected officials;
- Relative ease in connecting with state legislators on a personal level; and
- Potential to connect with non-disability advocacy groups around common issues
Potential County "People Can't Wait" Coalition Members
- People with disabilities
- Families of people with disabilities
- Countywide and local disability advocacy groups
- Provider agency management, staff and board members
- Local citizens
- County management, staff and elected officials
- School staff, administration, board members, and volunteers
Core Activities of All County "People Can't Wait" Coalitions
Create the coalition and continuously expand membership;
- Understand and support the Survival Coalition's vision and core statewide
political priorities, which currently include:
- Ending waiting lists for services for adults, children and families;
- Creating needed funding for a valued, stable and growing workforce;
- Ending the use of institutions as a place to live for people with disabilities;
- Redesigning the system of support for children and families;
- Passing mental health parity legislation; and
- Creating needed funding for special education.
- Create relationships on an ongoing basis between County "People Can't Wait" coalition members and each legislator representing county citizens, assuring that every legislator is educated on the importance to his or her local constituents of each advocacy priority;
- Create relationships on an ongoing basis with all print and other media within the county, assuring that each media outlet understands the importance of each political priority on local citizens;
- Create relationships on an ongoing basis with county elected officials and disability and other human services program administrators;
- Create the capacity to act quickly in response to needed advocacy activities;
- Inform the Survival Coalition of issues that need to be addressed on a statewide basis; and
- Identify and work on additional issues uniquely important to local members
Typically Needed Logistical Support
- A place or places to regularly meet;
- Access to information on statewide issues;
- Funding or support for mailings, outreach and publicity materials, telephone contacts, internet connections, and for reasonable accommodations related to members' disabilities and families need for child care;
- Ways to stay connected to other county coalitions, and to the Survival Coalition;
- Training, learning opportunities on particular skills, e.g.:
- Establishing effective coalitions;
- Effective advocacy skills with media, elected officials and citizens;
- Establishing, recruiting, maintaining and expanding coalition membership;
- Building relationships among various local organizations;
- Leadership development;
- Supporting involvement of self-advocates;
- Supporting involvement of people from diverse cultures;
- Creating effective meetings;
- Designing effective activities (e.g., legislative breakfasts, voter registration drives, local "conferences" and gatherings); and
- Training on understanding and responding effectively to particular issues.
Potential Resources for Support for Local Coalitions
- Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities' DAWN Initiative including the communication network (website and emails), grassroot grants, training and technical assistance;
- Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities' Waiting List Initiative including speakers and trainers on the "People Can't Wait" agenda;
- Member organizations of the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Groups, as well as their local "affiliates" and members
- Local and statewide service providers: and
- County Human Service, Unified, or Developmental Disabilities Services Boards or Departments, and related committees and subcommittees.
