Presentation Abstract

Shaping HIV Public Policy: The Role of Empowerment. P Chase, S Johnson, B Casimir, W Mirola. Indiana Community AIDS Action Network, Indianapolis.

Issue: People living with HIV play an integral role in shaping HIV public policy, but feelings of hopelessness, discrimination and other disempowering factors serve as barriers to coalition-based or self-advocacy, particularly in rural areas where breaches in anonymity or confidentiality may have more serious consequences.

Project: A longitudinal panel survey of HIV-affected persons from five distinct regions of a largely rural state is currently underway. The survey utilizes a newly-developed empowerment scale to measure changes in the degree to which respondents' feel they can shape HIV public policy before, immediately following and at three- and six- month intervals after a standardized advocacy training workshop. The workshop explores concepts which act to disempower HIV-affected individuals, describes funding streams and HIV programming, identifies service and funding gaps and teaches basic public policy advocacy skills. The survey includes a statewide advocacy training conference followed by an AIDS Lobby Day at the state legislature. Half of the 56 initial survey respondents indicate they are HIV positive. The initial survey includes 35 men, 18 women and one transgendered person.

Results: Preliminary analysis do suggest that respondents are more likely to feel empowered, more likely to feel in control of events around them and more likely to participate in shaping HIV public policy as a result of the advocacy training workshop.

Lessons Learned: HIV-affected persons are more likely to participate in public policy development when they feel they have some degree of power over the outcome. Advocacy training workshops are effective in instilling these feelings of empowerment.

Contact: Paul Chase, J.D., 3951 North Meridian Street, Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA. Telephone: 317.920.3190, Fax: 317.920.3199.

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