Partners in Policymaking educates participants to be active partners with those that make policy at the local, state and national level. They become partners in policymaking, developing partnerships that are built on positive relationships. In today's political climate of radical change, Partners graduates must work harder than ever to prevent the loss of basic rights for people with disabilities. Partners graduates can change the future by influencing public policy today. The South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council awarded funding to Family Connection in October 2005 to develop a program to coordinate a network of highly motivated PIP (Partners in Policymaking) graduates to continue advocating for persons with development disabilities, and head and spinal cord injuries. The Graduate Network is an extension of the training and camaraderie developed among participants in the Partners in Policymaking program. Since 1997, 159 parents and self-advocates have completed PIP. As the number of PIP graduates increase, they become a more powerful network that positively influences policymakers who shape disability issues at all levels.

Partners in Policymaking Graduate Network