Are you joining us at the 2012 Disability Policy Seminar in Washington, DC? If you haven’t made up your mind yet, here are some great reasons to register. We don’t want you to miss your single best opportunity to connect with the intellectual and developmental disability movement this year, but if you’re still on the fence, consider this:

Top Five Reasons to Attend the 2012 Disability Policy Seminar:

1. Meet face-to-face with your elected representatives and take advantage of a unique opportunity to let them know in person what’s important to you and what they can do to earn your vote. On the third day of the seminar, we’ll visit Capitol Hill for scheduled meetings with Congressional representatives and their staff.
2. Learn how to be an effective advocate, not just in Washington, but in your community once you return home. The information provided at the Disability Policy Seminar will give you a broader and better understanding of the role public policy plays in the day-to-day lives of people with I/DD and what you can do to create change. You can event attend a pre-event Seminar Trainee Orientation webinar hosted by AUCD.
3. Make your mark on an important election. The focus of the Seminar is giving you the tools you need to educate elected officials and candidates running for office on I/DD community’s most crucial issues. The Seminar should inspire you to engage in the political process and give you the information you need to understand exactly how public policy impacts people with I/DD.
4. Network. Meet with other from your state and across the country who share your passion. If you’re a self advocate or a sibling of someone with I/DD, attend special breakfast meet & greets to find out more about how you can get involved in The Arc’s new National Council of Self Advocates or our The Arc’s National Sibling Council.
5. Visit Washington DC’s famous Cherry Blossom Festival! There’s no reason you can’t have a little fun while you’re here. Explore DC from your convenient downtown base at the Grand Hyatt where restaurants, entertainment, shopping, public transportation and the historic National Mall where the cherry blossoms bloom is close by.

Get the best rates and availability – special early registration rates until March 20. Get more information or register and book your room now at www.disabilitypolicyseminar.org.

The annual Disability Policy Seminar is hosted by: The Arc, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), and Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE).

Sponsored by Hammer Travel – a unique travel planning resource for people with disabilities. www.hammertravel.org.