Use these resources for doing state-level advocacy and education about higher education opportunities for students with intellectual disability. Each resource is intended for a specific purpose and they can be used together or individually. Print these documents and use them to advocate with state policymakers. Some have blank spaces that you can customize with information about yourself or your state. Each bold and underlined phrase below is a link to the document and all of the documents can be accessed in this Google folder.
The Differences Between State and Federal Policymakers: explains the differences between state and federal (national) level policymakers, and defines a US Senator, US Representative, and State Legislator.
Policy Terms in Plain Language: this is a listing of important terms used to talk about policy, with definitions in plain language.
Ten Things Program Staff Should Know to Talk About College for Students with Intellectual Disability: program staff and others may use this document to help prepare for meetings with state legislators or staff. This is the information they need to know! You will need to fill in the information unique to your state and program. Most of this information is available at www.thinkcollege.net, and the rest is specific information about your own program. Reach out to Think College if you have questions.
The Importance of Inclusive Postsecondary Education in the State of [fill in the blank]: this fillable document is good for students or staff to use to share specific examples from your state with whoever you are meeting with.
Liz’s Top Ten Tips on Relationship Building: Liz Weintraub shares 10 reasons why it's important to connect with your legislators and how to do it.
Plain Language Talking Points on Education, Employment, Community Living, and Scholarships: these documents include an explanation of a topic, why it’s important, and what states can do to address the issue. There are four separate documents on education, employment, community living, and scholarships.
The Importance of Postsecondary Education for Individuals With Intellectual Disability: this document summarizes why postsecondary education for people with intellectual disability is important and includes some helpful facts about improved outcomes for people.
Getting to Know My Legislators: this table includes blanks to fill in about your state legislators or local leaders so you can be familiar with them before you contact them.
Creating an Elevator Speech for Advocacy: this is a template to write an elevator speech about yourself in preparation for a meeting with a legislator or community leader. An elevator speech is a short speech that describes an idea, introduces a person, or shares about a company in a short period of time.
There is also a flyer which explains the purpose of these documents and can be shared with educators, families, business leaders, and others. It includes a link to all of the documents listed above.
If you have questions about using these documents, please email our help desk at ThinkCollegeTA@umb.edu.