Examining the Effectiveness of a Legislative Advocacy Program for Parents of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Given the expertise of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), it is important to include their voices in disability legislation. Although, historically, parents of children with IDD have spearheaded disability policy, in the past few decades, parent legislative advocacy has been minimal. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a legislative advocacy program for parents of individuals with IDD. Specifically, using an intervention and wait list control group, we sought to determine whether the legislative advocacy program resulted in increases in special education knowledge, empowerment, and civic engagement. We found that intervention (vs. the wait list control) group participants demonstrated significant increases in special education knowledge and empowerment. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.