DRCT’s Community Engagement/Outreach Program
2022 Year in Review
By Mike Whilby, Strategic Partnerships Manager
2022 was a year of amazing accomplishments for Disability Rights Connecticut’s (DRCT) Community Engagement/Outreach program. DRCT continued to implement Executive Director, Debbie Dorfman’s 3-Tiered comprehensive community engagement strategic planning process which focused on underserved populations, including individuals with disabilities from communities of color.
Along with our internal organizational commitment, our DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee also helped to ensure that DRCT’s community engagement and outreach was being conducted purposefully through a DEI lens. Through these efforts, we were able to increase substantially the number of ethnic and racial minority clients served or educated about DRCT’s services and programs by way of initial discussions, attendance at events, and by providing necessary resources at community engagement events.
In fiscal year (FY) 2022, DRCT’s intentional outreach efforts led to new connections with diverse communities, such as the Caribbean community. By establishing these new relationships, we expanded our visibility and our mission throughout the state of Connecticut.
During FY 2022, DRCT provided outreach at 50 community events, which included thirty (30) in-person and twenty (20) virtual webinar events reaching people with disabilities, family members, caregivers, and other community & professional organizations. DRCT’s community engagement outreach efforts showed a 40% increase from FY 2021, which also reflected an increase in outreach to Black and Brown underserved communities.
DRCT continued to expand its community partners within unserved and underserved communities by increasing our visibility at community engagement events, such as the Autism Awareness Event at the Capitol, Middletown PrideFEST, CT Special Olympics – Summer Games, Juneteenth Festival with the Ujima African American Alliance, DRCT’s 5th Year Celebration with the Hartford Yard Goats, Ability Walk & Roll, Hartford Latino Fest, Taste of the Caribbean & Jerk Festival, Riverfront Asian Festival, Veterans Stand Down, and CCAR’s Recovery Fest – Walk for Recovery. As well as the Bridgeport Alliance Farmers Market, Capital Region Education Council (CREC) Back-to-School Block Party, Advancing Racial Equity Symposium, Disability Resource Fair, CT Town Clerks Association – Spring & Fall Conferences, CPAC (CT Parent Advocacy Center) Transition Tuesday, and The CT Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk and Festival.
Through these in-person events, DRCT included advocacy and legal educational tables and booths which provided information and self-advocacy resources to individuals with disabilities who live in these communities.
Additionally, by expanding the number of trainings, clinics, presentations, and community engagement events, DRCT also provided educational and informational outreach to individuals with disabilities throughout all 8 Connecticut counties.
Finally, I want to thank all of our staff who contributed to the success of our Community Engagement/Outreach program. It was a collective effort that consisted of many cross collaborations within the organization. By working together, we helped serve thousands of individuals with disabilities throughout Connecticut’s unserved and underserved communities. Excellent job by all!
