Bringing together disability advocates representing individuals, service providers, and state agencies, this panel will share insights into the short- and long-term impacts of recent legislative and administrative actions affecting the disability community. Topics to be discussed include Medicaid funding, eligibility for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), healthcare adequacy and provider system sustainability, and changes to education policy. This session will be hosted and moderated by Jon Meyers, Executive Director of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.
Learning Outcomes
- Participants will learn about the range of recent legislative and policy activities affecting the disability community in Arizona and nationwide.
- Participants will understand the upcoming effects of legislative and policy activities on services and supports for individuals with disabilities and caregivers.
- Participants will be better prepared to advocate with policymakers to ensure continued funding and availability of disability services and supports.
Encompassing state and federal policies and policymakers, this session explores public policy priorities, advocacy, and decision-making as they touch the lives of people with disabilities, caregivers, service providers, and government service systems. The session also includes a detailed update on key legislation affecting the disability community in Arizona and nationwide.
This session explores how YouTube channels can help self-advocates represent themselves in their own way and can positively influence public perceptions of people with disabilities . The presentation will feature short videos from Justice Armfield Living My Life YouTube channel. Justice, a man with Down syndrome, will share how he creates his videos, why he creates his videos, and the messages he hopes to convey with his videos. Justice will also talk about other self-advocates he follows on Youtube. Co-Presenter, John Schaffer, who often helps Justice with his videos, will help facilitate the conversation at the session.
Learning Outcomes
- Participants will be able to explain how YouTube and other digital platforms support self‑advocates in representing themselves, sharing their experiences, and shaping public perceptions of people with disabilities.
- Participants will be able to identify key elements of Justice Armfield’s content creation process—including his motivations, methods, and messaging—and describe how these elements contribute to authentic disability representation.
- Participants will be able to name at least two strategies for supporting self‑advocates in creating digital content, drawing on examples from Justice Armfield’s channel and other disability‑focused creators he follows.
Nearly 1 in 2 U.S. adults with disabilities (49%) live in households in which someone has had a court case for a civil, criminal, family, or traffic matter. This is substantially higher than the rate for adults without disabilities (29%). Overall, adults with disabilities make up approximately 30% of the general population, according to a recent national poll by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The topic of criminal justice is one of the hottest topics in the disability community today, especially when one looks at the layers within the Arizona criminal justice system. This proposal proposes a panel discussion with individuals who interact with the justice system daily, giving their own perspectives and answering questions. Panelists include attorneys, law enforcement officers, and criminal justice advocates.
Learning Outcomes
- Understanding barriers for individuals with disabilities in the criminal justice
- Understanding criminal justice from multiple points of view
- Collaborating together to explore possible solutions
Families of medically fragile students often operate under an “illusion of competency,” assuming schools are equipped for emergencies. After the tragic loss of their son Landon, Julie Lazzara and Mark D’Aprile transformed their grief into a legislative roadmap for change. This session moves beyond one specific story to provide a scalable blueprint for disability advocacy in Arizona. Using the success of SB1383 and the current push for HB4043 as case studies, the founders of Landon’s Legacy Foundation will detail how to navigate the Arizona Legislature. Attendees will learn the importance of incremental “stepping stone” legislation, how to engage stakeholders for buy-in, and the practical mechanics of the Request to Speak (RTS) program to ensure the most vulnerable voices are heard.
Learning Outcomes
- Map the Legislative Path: Identify the key stages of an Arizona bill (Committee, Caucus, Floor) and determine the optimal times for public testimony to influence disability-related policy.
- Utilize Advocacy Technology: Demonstrate proficiency in the Arizona Request to Speak (RTS) system to register support and provide impactful comments on pending legislation.
- Apply Incrementalism to Policy: Explain why "stepping stone" bills (like HB4043) are often more effective than "all-or-nothing" proposals in gaining stakeholder buy-in and overcoming legislative hurdles.
