Hi! I am Karen Addams and I am a Partners in Policymaking graduate from 1995. My husband, Peter, and I live in Lilburn and have two daughters. Mary Anne has severe multiple disabilities and is 19. Caroline was born after graduating from Partners and is 11 years old. As a result of Caroline's speech delay and her involvement in the Babies Can't Wait program, I became a Parent Educator for Gwinnett/Rockdale and Newton Counties Babies Can't Wait program in 1999. I continue to work for Babies Can't Wait today, enjoying the interaction and mentoring with families of young children with special needs. As a Parent Educator, I have also been involved at a statewide level in parent trainings, program and policy planning and parent leadership programs.
In 2000, I started an internet discussion group for families in the Babies Can't Wait program (BCWFamilies). This group was so successful that I started another group for parents of school-age and adult children with disabilities in the state of Georgia (GA-ParentNetwork). This grassroots parent advocacy group of over 700 members allows
parents/guardians from across the state to discuss issues pertaining to their children's disabilities without leaving their home - something that many parents (like me) desperately need! In addition, to the BCWFamilies and GA-ParentNetwork, I now manage (with help) the Autism-GA group which has over 800 members consisting of parents and professionals involved in the autism community.
I am also involved with SPECTRUM (Gwinnett County's Autism Parent Group), the Gwinnett ICC (GECIC), the Rockdale/Newton ICC (RNICC), Parent to Parent of Georgia and the Georgia Parent Mentor Program. I am a former parent representative of the DOE State Advisory Panel for Exceptional Students.
Partners in Policymaking gave me the foundation for all the work that I do. I try to take with me the lessons of advocacy, partnership and respect for diversity into all the projects that I am involved with.
To contact Karen Addams email her at KAddams@aol.com.