The City of Portland Disability Program is seeking applicants and community interest in its 2016-17 Disability Leadership Academy. The academy will offer skills to assist persons with disabilities to empower themselves and engage in civic leadership. It will be an intense and rewarding experience for participants to be more connected to the City and help enrich their lives.
This program is scheduled to run from October 2016 through June 2017. Ten to 15 students who are 18 or older will be accepted into an intensive leadership course to build ladership skills, knowledge of civic engagement and public involvement, practical skills and experimental skills. People with disabilities have long felt disempowered and left in a state of isolation. The academy seeks to change this longstanding dynamic by providing practical knowledge to assist them to be more active and advocate for themselves.
Anyone interested in applying for or finding information about the academy program, can check out the Disability Program’s webpage [https://www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/71185]. The webpage offers more specific details, a copy to download of the brochure, a fact sheet and an application form. Questions about the application process, how to support the academy and other inquiries can be directed to Kiel Moses by email at [email protected]. He may also be contacted at 503-823-2539.
The first phase of the academy will be nine sessions ranging on topics of advocacy, disability studies, conflict resolution and others. Leaders with disabilities will lead these sessions, sharing their personal and professional knowledge with the participants. The second phase will be experiential and the academy participants will apply their training in the first phase to a real world issue that impacts persons with disabilities. The academy will conclude with a graduation and celebration for the participants where friends and families, along with invited dignitaries will celebrate the participants’ work and accomplishments.
The academy’s structure is based on the Office of Neighborhood Involvement’s (ONI) Diversity and Civic Leadership model. ONI oversees the Disability Program which is one of its wide range of neighborhood livability direct services. Other similar programs are New Portlanders, Community Neighborhood Involvement Center, Neighborhoods, Public Involvement Best Practices, Youth and Neighborhood Mediation.
