The Monday Morning Advocacy Network of Middlesex County will hold its first meeting of the new year from 1-3 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the East Brunswick Public Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center.
Special guests will be Luke Koppisch, coordinator, Monday Morning Project, and Dennie Todd, coordinator, Partners In Policymaking (PIP), New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD).
Koppisch, who will speak on the Monday Morning Project’s plans for the upcoming year, also will collect meeting participants’ suggestions concerning what they would like to do in Middlesex County. Interested individuals are asked to offer proposals for dealing with issues and ideas for activities such as accessibility tours, forums, town-hall meetings, etc.
Todd will offer a presentation on the NJCDD’s PIP program, an eight-month course designed to teach individuals with disabilities and their family members about the movement for and by people with disabilities. Topics include the group’s history, the independent-living movement, health care, education, technology and more. Prior to graduation, PIP program participants also have the opportunity to learn about legislation by testifying at a mock hearing with real legislators at the Statehouse in Trenton. Applications for PIP are still being accepted for 2007.
Other discussion at the meeting will focus on an amendment to remove the words “idiot” and “insane” from language in the state constitution addressing voters with disabilities; plans for a meeting with code-enforcement officials to ensure the accessibility of buildings, parking spaces, etc., designated for people with disabilities; snow-removal law updates; activities with other Monday Morning networks; legislative updates; accessible-parking-space activity; and ground rules for meetings.
For more information or to reserve a spot at the meeting, call Anita Clavering at (732) 727-7791 or e-mail [email protected].
For audio/visual accommodations, call David Kallman at (732) 549-0879. Middlesex County Area Transit consumers may call (800) 221-3520 for transportation to the meeting; NJ Transit Access Link consumers should call (800) 221-2321 (811 bus route).