New Hampshire has achieved national recognition in recent years for its innovative approaches to supporting people with disabilities and their families within their communities and fostering communities - where everyone belongs.
Substantial positive changes have taken place during the past decade in New Hampshire, and many of these changes are a direct result of work by leaders who have graduated from the New Hampshire Leadership Series.
The series, which began in 1988 at the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability/UCED, was modeled after Minnesota's Partners in Policymaking Series with later input from the Colorado Partners in Leadership Training. The seven-session long series is held from September through April, and provides parents with state-of-the-art information and strategies to effectively impact local and state organizations on issues related to individuals with disabilities.
More than 650 parents and adults with disabilities have graduated from the NH Leadership Series, which is updated and revised each year. These leaders advocate with service providers, use the legislative process to achieve change, and organize communities to support inclusion.
Leadership graduates serve on school boards, family support teams and councils, judicial benches, local and state government, and other community boards. Two graduates are even representatives in the current New Hampshire House of Representatives. When asked about their entrance into the world of leadership positions, many graduates point to the NH Leadership Series as a pivotal experience in their lives.
The NH Leadership Series and its graduates:
The Institute on Disability/UCED, in collaboration with the Developmental Disabilities Council, People First, the New Hampshire Division of Mental health and Developmental Services, Department of Education, and other organizations, has sponsored a Leadership Series each year since 1988.
Over the past 10 years, four Advanced Leadership Series have been offered to Leadership graduates for the purpose of exploring issues in a more in-depth way. These series have varied from four to nine days in length. Topics have included:
Graduates of the Advanced Community Organizing Series recently founded CAUSE (Communities Actively United for Social Equality), a statewide advocacy organization. The organization's director is a Leadership graduate. Founding members recognized themselves as community organizers and agents of social responsibility.
