SDAN held a General Membership Meeting on Friday, January 10, 2025, featuring guest speaker Heather Sachs, Policy & Advocacy Co-Director for the National Down Syndrome Congress.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of speaking with your elected officials and wondered whether your story can truly make a difference, then Heather’s message is for you. Effective advocacy requires building relationships with elected officials and letting them know how certain policies affect you and your family. SDAN is grateful to Heather for sharing her expertise on how to build positive, long-lasting relationships with your elected officials and their staff at the federal, state and local level, and how to tell them your personal story in a concise, impactful way. Our voices DO matter, we just need to use them in effective ways!
To watch the Video Recording of the Meeting, Click HERE.
To view the PowerPoint presentation, Click HERE.
On October 24, 2024, the DDA announced sweeping new changes to Self-Direction, without any real input from the Self-Direction community on either impact or implementation. Their new policies diminish employer and budget authority and restrict access to services through a mountain of red tape. SDAN is concerned about the lack of stakeholder input on the impact and implementation of these new policies. We believe they are inconsistent with the waiver and the law. In this meeting, we hoped to help inform and support your advocacy as we continue to oppose this action by the DDA.
To watch the Video Recording of the Meeting, Click HERE.
To view the PowerPoint presentation, Click HERE.