For several years, the Council has hosted regular online low vision support groups to connect people who are blind or low vision across the state. Beginning in January, the Council will start a new kind of group where people with vision loss can share ideas and resources to support their advocacy efforts.
Policy advocacy was the very reason for the Council’s creation over 70 years ago, and it remains one of our core functions today. The new Advocacy Discussion Group is a space for learning, support and action, as local advocates from across Wisconsin can share their own triumphs and roadblocks. We see this new group as a next step in building a statewide network of motivated people equipped to engage with local and state decision-makers in productive conversations about the issues they care about.
Each meeting will include both a short presentation by Council staff on a relevant advocacy topic, such as legislative updates and advocacy skill-building; and opportunities for participants to exchange insights, ask questions and share information about their own advocacy efforts.
Council staffers Kathleen Callen and Mitch Brey will co-facilitate the group. Kathleen says she looks at the initiative as a way for advocates across the state to collaborate. “I would really like this group to encourage more people to get involved in their own advocacy work in their communities,” Kathleen says. “We want to uplift people across the state and help them find their own voice to take their stories to local leaders and create change in their own backyard.”
The group will meet on the third Wednesday of alternating months from 3 to 4:30 p.m., with the first session taking place January 15. If you are interested in making a difference in your community, we hope you will consider taking this opportunity to grow as an advocate and to help others grow as well.
To sign up for the Advocacy Discussion Group, visit our website at WCBlind.org/Council-Events/Advocacy-Discussion-Group, or contact us at 608-255-1166 or Info@WCBlind.org.
