1. AUCD’S
A DECADE’S WORTH OF DISABILIT Y
POLICY
ADVOCACY AND LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP

2. THANK YOU
 A special thank you to the Dr. Susan Vig and the wonderful
Rose F. Kennedy Center staf f for allowing me to come back
and present to you today. Thank you to all those who made
these experiences possible, especially Dr. Bob Marion and Ms.
Sheryl Dicker, and all my directors and colleagues at AUCD.

3. WASHINGTON, DC
Our nation’s capitol, and the center of advocacy and change . When in
DC, one is surrounded by diagonal streets (The French architect -
L’Enfant’s famously unique design ) with their state’s name printed
proudly across the signage, incredible and breathtaking architecture:
both wide and tall, ornate and simplistic, somber and
celebrator y, famous politicians (including the most famous of them
all) and Supreme Cour t justices, food for miles and miles where one
has the choice of dining with Congressional staf f or casual
friends, the infamous Cherr y Blossoms that bloom as early as late
Februar y (!), lady freedom and all her beauty, Smithsonian museums
at ever y corner, a mall with more nature than shops, the famous steps
where MLK spoke his most inspiring words, memorials of
presidents, heroes, and wars past, towering monuments with
tremendous views of the Potomac and all DC’s glor y, power ful
speeches etched in stone, and a simply beautiful White House. It’s
truly where histor y, both one’s own and the nation’s, is made.

4. SIGHTS OF DC

5. 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
JAPANESE CHERRY BLOSSOMS!

6. AUCD: HISTORY AND MISSION
 40 Year Celebration (2011)!
 History: President Kennedy – first disability advocacy
champion in the political sphere.
 22 days before President Kennedy was assassinated he signed into
law an act creating the first university -based facilities for individuals
with DD, in 1963. (See AUCD History Page).
 AUCD now represents: 67 UCEDDs, 43 LENDs, and 15 IDDRCs.
 RFK Center is one of the few with all three 
 Mission: “To advance policy and practice for and with people
with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and
their communities by supporting our members in
research, education, and service activities that achieve our
vision.”

7. AUCD’S 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
“THE JOURNEY CONTINUES”

8. WHO’S WHO AT AUCD
 Executive Director of AUCD: George Jesien, PhD
 AUCD on Twitter: AUCDgeojes
 President of AUCD: Tony Antosh, EdD (RI UCEDD Director)
 Policy -Legislative Affairs Team (In Brief, Advocacy)
 Director: Kim Musheno
 Policy Analyst: Ellen Jensby
 Technical Assistance
 Director: Dawn Rudolph
 Policy Analysts: Hillary Spears, Rachel Patterson
 Self-Advocate: Liz Weintraub
 Data Manager: Corina Miclea Rotsko
 RFK’s Very Own Dr. Robert Marion: aka one of the most famous
authors in AUCD’s Library! 

9. GOALS OF THE FELLOWSHIP
 Began in 2001: 11 Fellows
 Purpose: expand knowledge/expertise of AUCD network
faculty, staff and/or senior trainees
 First-hand experience. Exposure to interrelationship among
government, agencies, advocacy organizations, & institutions of
higher learning
 Provides experiences in development of national policy and
legislation related to individuals with disabilities, their families
and those who work on their behalf
 Broaden knowledge of the AUCD membership, its work and
issues
 Develop key relationships with other federal level organizations
 2013 Fellow Application will be up in May.
 See AUCD Disability Policy Page

10. RESPONSIBILITIES OF FELLOWSHIP
 Assist Legislative Team in writing updates on disability
legislation for In Brief
 Maintaining/updating AUCD’s Health Reform Hub
 Attend Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities Task
Force Meetings
 CCD represents a range of issues:
transportation, housing, Medicaid, Autism, employment, educa
tion, etc.)
 Attend relevant forums/hearings/briefings
 Participate in meetings with Congressional Staff
 Provide policy updates and TA to UCEDDs/LENDs/IDDRCs
 Assist in planning for Disability Policy Seminar
 Draft Press Releases

11. PAST FELLOWS’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 Facilitated Planning of 2011 National Self - Advocacy Summits
 Organized the first “Celebrating 10 Years of Fellowship” Panel
at 2011 AUCD Conference (Amie Lulinski-Norris @ IL UCEDD).
 AUCD Liaison to COCA
 Participated in Higher Education Opp. Act Workgroup
 Provided Oral Testimony to Of fice of Postsecondary Ed.
 Advocated for critical legislation
 Rosa’s Law (Prevent Use of the “R” Word)
 Lifespan Respite Act
 New Freedom Initiative & Other Medicaid Related policies
 Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 !

12. ACA SUPREME COURT PROTESTS

13. CRITICAL LEGISLATION
 Affordable Care Act
 Ticket to Work – Work Incentives Planning Assistance
 ADA Accessibility Regulations: Pool Compliance
 Transportation: New Freedom Programs
 Olmstead Special Litigation ( Tom Perez – Assistant AG of Civil
Rights Division of DOJ)
 VA ADA Settlement
 Educational Opportunities Section
 Housing
 Education
 Restraint and Seclusion
 Hearing in May
 NCLB Waivers: 37 States Applied

14. MY EXPERIENCES
 Meeting with Senator Tom Harkin to Present him with Gold
Star Award from AUCD’s 2011 40 -year Anniversary
Conference*
 NCIL 30 year anniversary congressional reception
 Congressional Briefing on Accessible Transportation
 Meetings with Congressional Staf f re: appropriations
 Congressional Briefing on “Caring for Kids with Autism Act”
 Attending Education Budget Briefing with Secretary of
Education: Arne Duncan
 Supreme Court Hearings

15. PRESENTING SENATOR HARKIN WITH
AUCD 2011 GOLD STAR AWARD
AUCD Article
Photo courtesy of AUCD

16. SENATOR TOM HARKIN
 Senator from Iowa, serving in Senate since 1985. House from
1975-1985.
 Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
(HELP) Committee
 Early frontrunner for democratic party in 1992 presidential
election, but dropped out in support of Bill Clinton.
 Most famous for disability advocacy.
 Introduced the ADA into the Senate
 Sibling of a brother with a disability
 Strong Stance against Medicaid Bias
 Champion for individuals with disabilities:
 Community First Choice Option: New York
 Restraint and Seclusion: will make floor statement
 Accessible Technology
 Back to Work Strategies
See
http://harkin.senate.gov/abouttom.cfm, http://www
.help.senate.gov/about/chair/

17. ACCESSIBLE TAXI IN DC

18. “IN LINE” FOR SUPREME COURT
ACA HEARINGS

19. MY PROJECTS
 Community Integration -Capacity Building: ADD
 Keeping the Promise Report Released by NDRN
 NY Group Home Exposed in series of NY Times Articles
 UCEDD Minority Partnership Projects
 Dual Eligibles Issue Brief: 15 States issued grants from CMS
 Create person-centered models for integrating care for Medicaid -
Medicare enrollees. Many states have focused particularly on people
with disabilities in their model plans.
 WIPA/PABSS Reauthorization: Funding running out in June/Sept.
 Grants to non-profit organizations and P&As to issue financial
planning, benefits planning to ensure self-sufficiency of IWD in the
workforce. Social Security Administration urges Congress to pass 5 -year
Reauthorization
 Meetings with Congressional Staf f on UCEDD Funding
 Dr. Marion and Ms. Sheryl Dicker Lead the Meetings!

20. DISABILIT Y POLICY SEMINAR
 This Year: April 23-25 th 2012
 Goals/Purpose: “The Seminar offers [advocates] the opportunity
to come together, become educated on the issues, and take the
initiative to speak with [] elected officials about what is
important to [them].”
 Highlights:
 Capitol Hill Reception (sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin).
 Awardees: Senator Tom Harkin, Tom Perez (DOJ: Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights Division)
 Sibling Leadership Breakfast
 Self-Advocate Breakfast
 Trainee Reception: Michael Gamel-McCormick (HELP Committee Staff
and former president of AUCD and director of DE UCEDD) will speak to
trainees from all over the country
 Website: http://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=2173

21. RESOURCES
 Lives Worth Living DVD
 Kristina’s Blog
 AUCD’s Action Center
 Health Reform Hub
 Fellowship Page
 WWW.AUCD.ORG
Everything you need to know about
AUCD should be available on the website,
and if you have any particular questions
please feel free to contact me.

22. CONTACT INFORMATION
Kristina Majewski, J.D.
2012 Disability Policy Leadership Fellowship
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
kmajewski@aucd.org
(973) 919-3567
(301) 588 – 8252 (ext. 205)
Connect to AUCD on Facebook and Action Center.
Keep up to date on recent disability legislation
through AUCD’s weekly edition of In Brief

23. “LET’S GET TO WORK”
- S E N AT O R T O M H A R K I N