Friday, August 10, 2012

Aging in Community Advocacy Workshops at Tenley Library

On May 15 Iona Senior Services Center launched a five month series of advocacy training workshops to educate and prepare local residents, aged 60+, to be effective and efficient advocates. As a respected Washington DC senior services agency, Iona's role is to support the community to "Age Well and Live Well." Its goal with this series is to encourage greater participation in citizen focused community activism.

Tuesday, August 14, 2pm - 3.30pm.
How to Age in Place: Tips for Renters and Homeowners

The speakers are: Barbara Cline, Senior Housing Advocate, and Kristen C Barry, Disability Rights Program Coordinator, Equal Rights Center (ERC), and Jean Bethel, Office of the Peoples Counsel (OPC). 

Learn ways to make your home both safe and accessible as you age at home. 

This workshop will introduce you to universal design - a concept that aims to make your living space safe and comfortable, regardless of age or physical ability. We will also explore "accessibility" - what it means under the American Disabilities Act and the importance of knowing your "Fair Housing Rights". Finally, you will hear a true story of a local senior with a disability who used the power of these laws to enforce his rights.

The Office of the People's Counsel will present consumer rights associated with utility services (gas, power and water) and processes to deal with these issues. 

Iona's Aging in Community Advocacy Workshops
All held at the Tenleytown Library
4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW
2nd Floor large meeting room


Tuesday September 11, 2pm - 4pm
Taking a Stand with Community: Advocacy in Action

This workshop is the culmination of a five month advocacy training series and most fittingly is planned for 9/11. Participants will be joined by a range of experienced community advocates to support attendees to: fine tune skills, communication styles, research processes, data collection, and most importantly community involvement. This session will focus on mentoring each participant to develop their unique advocacy voice and capacity of be an effective and efficient change agent.

Workshops are free. Please rsvp to:

Lylie Fisher, Director of Community Engagement
lfisher @ iona.org
202.895.9425
www.iona.org

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