The Art of Advocacy for Sibs: Valuable Lessons and Tips from Maureen Fitzgerald

We are thrilled to welcome Maureen Fitzgerald, a passionate advocate with over 5 decades of experience, as our guest speaker for this special ZOOM event! 🙌✨

Maureen has spent a lifetime advocating for families and individuals with support needs. During this session, she will share her personal journey, provide insights into what true advocacy means, and offer valuable advice on how to engage in advocacy without burning out.

Her expertise will guide us on how to be effective advocates, as she truly values Sibs and recognizes their posioiton on this life-long journey.
📅 Date: Saturday, January 11th
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM PT
💻 Platform: ZOOM

This event is an incredible opportunity to learn from Maureen's wealth of experience and wisdom. Sibs, you won’t want to miss this.
Bring your story, your questions, and your engagement!

Together, we can make a difference and learn how to advocate with heart and purpose. 💙
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ABOUT MAUREEN
Public Policy Expert | Advocate for Developmental Disabilities

Maureen Fitzgerald has dedicated her professional and personal life to advocating for individuals with developmental disabilities, navigating both the public policy and nonprofit sectors to improve services and support systems.
Maureen holds a Master’s degree in Urban Studies from Occidental College, after completing her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. She went on to complete the prestigious CORO Foundation Fellowship in San Francisco, where she honed her skills in leadership and public affairs.
Her career began with the California Journal, a non-partisan monthly publication, where she spent two years documenting the impact and implementation of Proposition 13 under a Ford Foundation grant. She then worked for the State Office of the Legislative Analyst, contributing to budget assignments across various departments, including Regional Centers, State Developmental Centers, Mental Health, and Medi-Cal.

In the 1980s, Maureen joined ARC California, where she handled Governmental Affairs during a transformative period for developmental services. Notably, the California Supreme Court issued the landmark 1985 Association for Retarded Citizens v. Department of Developmental Services ruling, which established services in the Individual Program Plan (IPP) as an entitlement.

Maureen also worked for the California Association for the Retarded, a parent group representing local chapters and state developmental center parent organizations, advocating for a continuum of services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

For over two decades, Maureen has been a member of the Sacramento County Developmental Disabilities Planning and Advisory Council, appointed by the Sacramento Board of Supervisors in 1995, where she continues to contribute her expertise and passion for policy change.

Her commitment to the developmental disabilities community began during her time at UC Berkeley, when she volunteered for a children’s program at Napa State Hospital. This experience deeply impacted her, as she saw firsthand the challenges of providing a nurturing environment for children abandoned by the community. The program later received federal funds and hired students to support its efforts, marking the beginning of Maureen's lifelong dedication to improving care and services for this underserved population.