Advocacy Guest Blog: Advocating from Outside of Austin
Carl McMillen
Panhandle Independent Living Center
December 9, 2014
It has been my privilege and honor to work with other dedicated people committed to improving the lives of grown-ups and kids with disabilities. Words cannot express my gratitude to our statewide disability community for making possible better futures for deserving people.
Today, Panhandle Independent Living Center (PILC) is thriving because of our Texas disability network and the people who, to quote Theodore Roosevelt, “know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and the triumph of high achievement.” But we have been through our share of struggles, too.
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About 15 years ago, inconsistent leadership, poor funding, and limited staff were just a few issues that threatened PILC's very existence. It took a lot of effort, most of it legislative, to turn things around. Yes, it’s true that Amarillo is a long way from the Capitol in Austin, but we still effectively advocated for ourselves. First, we collaborated with statewide organizations that had staff with greater specialized knowledge and contacts with key decision makers.
- In 2002, the Texas State Independent Living Council (SILC) recognized that several Texas CILs were in financial need. Head of SILC Ted Thayer coordinated the leveling of funding from the Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration. Our grant rose from $134,000 to about $240,000 annually.
- A great deal of help came from the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD). Executive Director Dennis Borel and his staff helped orchestrate the statewide distribution of funds created by a legal settlement. Our portion allowed us to purchase and renovate a building for a new office that we so desperately needed!
With a great distance to Austin and a limited travel budget, PILC also developed and maintained a long distance relationship with State Representative Four Price, who serves on House Appropriations Committee and as Vice Chair of the Sunset Commission. We took advantage of Rep. Price’s local office in the Panhandle to arrange personal meetings. Since becoming an ally of CILs, and especially PILC, he has learned the value of CILs, and his support has been continuously reflected in much of his legislative work.
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About Carl & PILC
Panhandle Independent Living Center (PILC) of Amarillo has served a vast 26-county region since 1988. Executive Director Carl McMillen has enjoyed working with and for Texans with disabilities. He will retire in January after serving 15 years.
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Advocacy Links
Guest Blog
- Who Controls the Dialogue on Autism? Shaun Bickley
- Advocating from Outside of Austin Carl McMillen
- New Ways to Advocate with CTD Chris Masey
- The Spending Cap and Texans with Disabilities Brakeyshia Samms
- Advocacy Happens Anywhere Susie Angel
- Re-post (ECI): Advocacy with Texans Care for Children Alice Bufkin
- Re-post (Community Attendants): Personal Attendant Advocacy Cathy Cranston (ADAPT, PACT)
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