1. CONCISENESS: Keep your remarks to a 2-MINUTE MAXIMUM. Time yourself. We want to allow as many people as possible to speak in a short time frame. Be fair to other speakers and keep to the limit. Conciseness also creates more impact. Long, rambling stories cause wandering minds. Make your sentences short and punchy.

2. IDENTIFICATION: State your name, your age (?), the name and age of your family member with a disability. Tell what services you need.

3. USE REGULAR LAY LANGUAGE: Speak as you would to a lay audience of people who don’t know terminology or buzzwords in the developmental disabilities field. Explain what “respite care” means - don’t assume the media or legislators or even other families know what respite care is. “Rolling Access” – explain this or better yet, don’t even use the term but name the actual assistance you get. Don’t assume that everyone understands why consolidating group homes is wrong – talk about this in terms of people being uprooted from their homes to larger congregate settings.

4. BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF SITUATION: You may focus this according to your situation and most important concerns. For instance (and these are only suggestions), if you are elderly or ill and on the Waiting List, you might stress your immediate fears. If your family member is strafing from the lack of independence and acting out because of it, this might be your focal point. If you, as a caregiver, are just plain tired and not handling caregiving well anymore, say so. Or you may be a member of the real sandwich generation – addressing the needs of elderly parents and helping with grandchildren while taking care of someone with a disability. You might also center on how caregiving impinges on work.
If you receive services or care for a loved one who receives services, be clear about what cuts and underfunding mean to health and safety and to quality of life.

Remember, though, you can’t say it all in two minutes. Select what matters to you most.

5. PROCESS: Make a list of all the points you want to make. Then, using the list, just talk and time yourself. You may want to write out your sentences, if you feel that will give you more control. Then you can practice reading your remarks to see how they sound and what phrasing best rolls off your tongue. But, if possible, be prepared to just talk from notes when you get to the hearing. Large print on note cards works best. Put key words on separate lines.

6. THE DELIVERY: RELAX. This isn’t a test. You don’t have to be a professional speaker. You are a family member telling your story. If you stumble, you just sound more sincere. Even crying doesn’t hurt. Just say what you feel.