Empowering Partners

Empowering Partners aims to raise awareness about the value of self-advocacy and reconvene or strengthen self-advocacy groups throughout the state.

The Arc Maryland, in partnership with People on the Go of Maryland and The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, is excited to share with you Empowering Partners, an outgrowth of the successful Partners in Policymaking® program.

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About the Program

Empowering Partners serves as the foundation for self-advocacy groups in Maryland, with guidance from The Arc Maryland, local chapters, experienced self-advocate facilitators, and program partners.  Through the program, self-advocacy groups share centralized discussion topics, activities, and a unified movement to grow from and build on.

It’s amazing how you can transform in a year. I can speak up for myself now and I’m not afraid to say I’m disabled. I want to be a voice for others and myself.

Katherine O’Connell, Empowering Partners Facilitator

You are a part of this community, you are meant to be out there. Try to keep spreading your word, believe in yourself!

Erica Wheeler, Empowering Partners Facilitator

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EMPOWER Monthly News

Find the latest news for Self-Advocacy Groups in Maryland through EMPOWER, a newsletter brought to you from The Arc Maryland. Check out our latest edition below. Each edition is shared with Empowering Partners Self-Advocacy Groups around the state.

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Finding a Self-Advocacy Group Near You

You can join a Self-Advocacy Group near you supported by Empowering Partners to improve your advocacy skills! Here are upcoming meeting times in Maryland:

• People On the Go of Southern Maryland  |  Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties
  • Virtual – January 8th, 10:00 to 11:00 AM
  • People On the Go of Southern Maryland’s Facebook
  • Chapter Liaison: Mindy Cornett-Shifflett
    • mcshifflett@arcsomd.org
• STAND Together | Montgomery County
  • In-Person – January 8th, 6:00 to 7:00 PM
  • STAND Together’s website
  • Chapter Liaison: Beth-Ann Carter and Laquoia Brown
    • STAND@arcmontmd.org
• Living Boldly | The Arc Central Chesapeake Region | Anne Arundel County
  • In-Person (Annapolis Community Hub) – January 8th, 12:00 to 1:00 PM
  • Living Boldly’s website
  • Chapter Liaison: Rylie Shewbridge
    • rshewbridge@thearcccr.org or livingboldly@thearcccr.org
• Self-Advocates of Frederick County | Frederick County
  • In-Person (at The Arc at Market Street) – January 8th, 4:00 to 5:30 PM
  • Chapter Liaison: Megan Dewing
    • mdewing@arcfc.org
• People First | Cecil and Harford Counties
  • In-Person – January 9th, 5:30 to 6:30 PM
  • Chapter Liaison: Jenny Conde
    • jconde@arcncr.org
• Inspiration Advocates | Carroll County
  • In-Person – January 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
  • Chapter Liaison: Kourtney Merriam
    • kmerriam@arccarroll.com
• New Hope for All  |  Baltimore City and Baltimore County
  • In-Person – January 15th, 6:00 to 7:00 PM
  • New Hope for All’s website
  • Chapter Liaison: Swanisha Hinton
    • shinton@thearcbaltimore.org
• Living Boldly  |  The Arc Central Chesapeake Region | Eastern Shore
  • In-Person (Port Street Commons Community Hub) January 15th, 12:00 to 1:00 PM
  • Living Boldly’s website
  • Chapter Liaison: Rylie Shewbridge
    • rshewbridge@thearcccr.org or livingboldly@thearcccr.org
• People First | Howard County
  • Virtual – January 20th, 6:00 to 7:00 PM\
  • People Power’s Facebook page
  • Chapter Liaison: Nakia Singleton
    • nsingleton@archoward.org

To learn how you can join an Empowering Partners Self-Advocacy Group near you, contact Natalie Dohner at ndohner@thearcmd.org.

This opportunity is supported through a grant from The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, funded in part by a federal ARPA grant (non-overlapping Federal Funding sources), and in part by The Arc Maryland. This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,262,502 with 100% funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.