Think College Policy Advocates

Policy Advocates logo that says "Ask me about college"

 

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2024 Application Coming Soon!

Advocacy Resources

Think College Resource Library has over 30 additional resources related to advocacy – click to see the full list.

What’s Happening in your State

Important policy and legislation is being discussed and passed at the state level. Click the map to see what is going on in your state.

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Since 2019, Think College National Coordinating Center and the Association for University Centers on Disability (AUCD) have partnered to offer Think College Policy Advocates Training – an opportunity for teams comprised of college students with intellectual disability and a college program staff to learn together about disability policy and advocacy.

The application to apply to become a TCPA trainee opens in February/March each year.  Up to ten teams from across the US are accepted.  Teams will receive in-person and virtual training, coaching support from skilled advocacy professionals, and a stipend to support their travel expenses to Washington, DC.

What is Think College Policy Advocates Training?

  • Think College Policy Advocates Training offers over a dozen hours of training and coaching both virtually and in-person in Washington DC each fall.  In-person components are provided during the annual Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD)  Annual Conference.
  • The curriculum was developed and is taught by AUCD staffers Denise Rozell, Director of Policy Innovation, Liz Weintraub, Senior Advocacy Specialist, and Caroline Jurisich, Policy Specialist.
  • Training covers the basics of advocacy, information about the US Congress and the federal government structure, and discussions on current federal issues of importance to people with disabilities, including inclusive postsecondary education opportunities. The training also teaches skills and strategies to use to make the most of meetings with representatives in Congress.
  • The training culminates in visits to Capitol Hill where each participant meets with Congressional members and their staff about issues that matter to them.
     

News & Features

Last year, Arthur Moreira, a student at College of Alameda College 2 Career Program learned about disability policy, some basics of how the US government works, advocacy, and more. ...Read more
Tons of incredible things happened during Think College Policy Advocates 2023-- read this blog and hear from several Think College staff what made it so special.  ...Read more
[Project: Think College National Coordinating Center] Think College and AUCD are continuing their commitment to developing informed, effective disability advocates.  ...Read more

Policy Advocates Slideshow

Four people standing together smiling, two college students and a college alumni, with the Senior Education Policy Advisor.
Student advocates Lucy Salamon, Martha Haythorn, and Kenneth Kelty, stand with Brad Thomas, Senior Education Policy Advisor, U.S. House Committee on Education & the Workforce, recipient of the AUCD 2023 Gold Star Award.
A college student and a college instructor stand together in front of a sign that says Think College Policy Advocates Training.
Martha Haythorn, EXCEL at Georgia Tech, and Christopher Worth, University of Missouri-St. Louis, stand in front of a Think College Policy Advocates Training sign.
Four people sitting at a round table.
Mary Morningstar & Carson Mitchell, Portland State University Career & Community Studies Program, and Fish Vosnos & Morgan Jacobs from Utah Valley University Wolverines Elevated, working to prepare for the meetings with their state representatives.
Two women stand in front of a poster presentation.
Rosa Juan and Betty Patten from Auburn University EAGLES, posing in front of their poster at the AUCD Annual Conference.
Close-up of three women smiling at the camera in a hotel lobby.
Sheila Johnson, Think College, with Grace Arnold and Kelly Haan from University of Colorado Colorado Springs, posing in the hotel lobby before heading out for the evening.
Photograph of 32 people posed in a meeting room, holding a sign that says TCPA.
Photograph of the 10 Think College Policy Advocates teams with coaches and staff from AUCD.
Seven people standing together, smiling, in front of SenatorBob Casey’s office in Washington, DC.
Brenda Barrio & Lauryn Woolfolk (Univ. of North Texas ELEVAR), Grace Hart (Senator Bob Casey’s office), Jordyn Swartzendruber (Univ. of Kansas TPE), Liz Weintraub (AUCD), and in front, Shelby Bates (Think College) and Dylan Shemitz (Univ. of Kansas TPE).
Three people smiling, standing in front of the Dirksen Senate Office Building sign.
Coach Cate Weir from Think College with Fish Vishnos and Morgan Jacobs from Utah State university, smiling and standing together in front of the Dirksen Senate Office Building sign.