Agenda

For more information, and to view presentations and handouts, click on each day for agenda and session details.

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To say “all politics is local” takes on new significance in a time when the local, state and national political system is experiencing a dramatic sea change, with new movements and parties colliding with a radically changing way of doing business on the federal level. This doesn’t begin to account for global movements that will impact UCP’s affiliates in the years to come, where advances in research and collaboration have the potential to dramatically expand the ways in which UCP affiliates provide services. While elections will determine some outcomes, the UCP network and broader disability community must think more comprehensively about ways it can advocate for disability issues, finance services for the disabled and create strong, broad coalitions to ensure a life without limits for people with disabilities for decades to come.

This year’s UCP Annual Conference looked at building strong communities for people with disabilities from the ground up.  From cutting edge new program ideas and resource development to exploring ways to build coalitions to ensure a voice in one’s one community, UCP invited the leading minds to help map out a new reality for disability advocates and service providers – locally, at the state level, by understanding and harnessing a new reality in Washington, and through global collaborations that can revolutionize the disabilities landscape.

Topics explored included:

·         Health Care and Education Reform: How will it impact my consumers, the way I conduct business and what should I be planning for as the nature of funding changes for affiliates?

·         Global Collaboration/Local Impact: How do I incorporate the ever-changing advances in research, technology and international collaboration to strengthen my local affiliate?

·         Research Advances and Program Development: How do I take advantage of breakthroughs in medical research locally? Can I partner with those doing this work and how do I apply it to my own programs?  As we diversify the network, what new programs and resources are available to me and how can I learn from my UCP peers?

·         Mobilizing the next generation: How do I engage a new generation of donors, activists and volunteers to sustain the movement and my organization?

Lobbying isn’t just for the lobbyist: How do I engage volunteers, virtually and in person, to ensure my voice is heard at the local, county and state level?