Youth with Disabilities Foster Leadership and Advocacy Skills at a Statewide Forum

By: Able South Carolina

Dozens of youth with disabilities from across the state gather next week at Presbyterian College to develop leadership and advocacy skills with the SC Youth Leadership Forum.

Hosted by Able South Carolina (Able SC), the SC Youth Leadership Forum (SCYLF) is a four-day, three-night leadership intensive experience open to juniors, seniors, and those who recently completed high school with any type of disability. During the forum, through several different breakout sessions and interactive events, will learn about independent living, advocacy, employment, and disability pride.

“We uphold youth with disabilities as experts on their own lives and, more generally, current issues in disability rights,” said Paige Winget, director of youth transition programs with Able SC. “In providing access to robust leadership skill-building, we hope to encourage the next generation of disability rights leaders.”

The 2022 event will host a number of speakers ranging from those internationally famous for their disability advocacy, those who have been dedicated to local grassroots advocacy, to former SCYLF delegates who’ve used the skills they learned as a youth and applied them to their personal advocacy and professional career.

SCYLF presenter, Judy Heumann, has served as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services for the Clinton administration, the first Special Advisor on Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department for the Obama administration, co-founder of the World Institute on Disability, and the first Advisor on Disability and Development for the World Bank. She has been involved in the creation and development of several key pieces of legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and her life’s advocacy work was recently the subject of the 2020 Netflix Documentary, ‘Crip Camp’. Judy will share with delegates her own experiences with disability-related advocacy, and host a question and answer session offering tips and advice to delegates on their own advocacy efforts and passions.

Rebecca and Patrick Cokley are spouses and disability advocates known nationally. Rebecca is the current program officer for the Ford Foundation’s US Disability Rights program, having previously served as co-founder and director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress. she is also a 3-time presidential appointee, serving in key policy-making roles within the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services, and leading diversity and inclusion efforts within the Obama Whitehouse. Her husband, Patrick, is the current Chief of Organizing, Advocacy, and Learning for Civic Influencers, as well as serving as Program Director for the Workforce Recruitment Program for the Office of Disability Employment Policy within the U.S. Department of Labor. They will host a speaker session during the event about their experiences in political advocacy and give practical advice on how to maximize success with advocacy efforts.

Able SC CEO and President, Kimberly Tissot, will be joining the event to equip and educate SCYLF delegates with strategies for systemic advocacy. Kimberly has been with Able SC for over 12 years, with over 20 years of experience advocating for disability rights and inclusion on local, state, federal, and international levels. Kimberly is adept at working with legislators to pass disability progressive laws. She led efforts in South Carolina to pass the “Persons with Disabilities Right to Parent Act” in 2017 and the bill to end subminimum wage and the “Employment First Initiative Act,” in 2022.

Another of the event speakers is Wednesday Jones, a former SCYLF delegate and current Employment and Financial Literacy Specialist at Able SC. Wednesday will share their personal and professional journey into advocacy, the basics of pitchfork advocacy, and how their story can influence the SCYLF delegates of today to embrace disability pride as a means of promoting advocacy for themselves and their disability community.

The SC Youth Leadership Forum seeks to equip young people with disabilities with the tools they need to become leaders in their communities. By spending four days in an intensive setting, these youth will not only receive the education they need to accomplish their leadership goals, but they will also leave with memories that will impact their personal values for years to come.

Hosted by Able SC, SC Youth Leadership Forum is made possible by our many funders, sponsors, and partners. We thank South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council, Abacus Planning Group, Inc., McGuire Woods Consulting, Bluestien Attorneys, and Publix for their support that makes SCYLF possible. We honor AccessAbility, Family Connection of SC, SC Assistive Technology Program, and Walton Options for Independent Living for their continued partnership.

ABOUT ABLE SOUTH CAROLINA

Able SC is a disability-led organization seeking transformational changes in systems, communities, and individuals.  Since 1994, we’ve remained a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability nonprofit that seeks to make South Carolina a national model of equity and inclusion for all people with disabilities. To learn more about Able SC’s programs and services, please visit www.able-sc.org.

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