Snohomish County will participate in a presentation and panel discussion at the “Summit on Inclusive Communities” scheduled for Thursday in Ellensburg.

The summit is sponsored by the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Administration with support from a federal “Roads to Community Living” grant. The summit’s goals are to bring together active citizens and professionals from across the state to learn more about how to work toward more inclusive and welcoming communities with a focus on individuals with significant disabilities.

Snohomish County has been tapped in acknowledgement of the strong partnerships among the county’s public and private organizations and active citizen advocates, which have resulted in a number of successful efforts to enhance inclusion in our communities.

The presentation “Fostering Inclusive Communities” will feature county staff from the Snohomish County Developmental Disabilities Program, as well as partners from the Everett’s Office of Neighborhoods and Parks and Recreation, the county’s eight Family Support Centers, the ARC of Snohomish County, and other advocates and agencies.

These successful partnerships began with the advent of the Coalition for Inclusive Communities in 2007.  Notable accomplishments include numerous staff trainings for public and private organizations on how to recognize, address and remove both environmental and intrinsic barriers to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Other efforts have included leadership training and involvement of individuals and family advocates on community boards, community asset mapping, and a number of other projects/efforts unique to area neighborhoods, towns or organizations.

For more information on local Snohomish County efforts, contact Stuart Torgerson at 425-388-7208 or stuart.torgerson@snoco.org or Tamra Bradford at 425-388-7320 ortamra.bradford@snoco.org, or go to www.snoco.org and search “Developmental Disabilities.”