NH Leadership Series

Project Description

New Hampshire has achieved national recognition in recent years for its innovative approaches to supporting people with disabilities and their families within their communities and fostering communities - where everyone belongs.

Substantial positive changes have taken place during the past decade in New Hampshire, and many of these changes are a direct result of work by leaders who have graduated from the New Hampshire Leadership Series.

Click here to visit the NH Leadership Website

 The series, which began in 1988 at the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability/UCED, was modeled after Minnesota's Partners in Policymaking Series with later input from the Colorado Partners in Leadership Training. The seven-session long series is held from September through April, and provides parents with state-of-the-art information and strategies to effectively impact local and state organizations on issues related to individuals with disabilities.

More than 800 parents, adults with disabilities, and UNH LEND Trainees  have graduated from the NH Leadership Series, which is updated and revised each year. These leaders advocate with service providers, use the legislative process to achieve change, and organize communities to support inclusion.

Leadership graduates serve on school boards, family support teams and councils, judicial benches, local and state government, and other community boards. Graduates are representatives in the current New Hampshire House of Representatives and the NH state Senate. When asked about their entrance into the world of leadership positions, many graduates point to the NH Leadership Series as a pivotal experience in their lives.