Breaking the Iron Cage of Poverty 

Understanding Poverty and Gaining Strategies for Helping Overcome Poverty-Related Obstacles

Most information on poverty comes from the media which predominately provides stories that perpetuate myths and stereotypes. In this interactive segment, Dr. Beegle will provide participants with a poverty knowledge base necessary for improving successful outcomes for those facing poverty barriers. Participants will gain tools for understanding how the many different life experiences of poverty impact success and what they can do on an individual and organizational level to improve outcomes. Dr. Beegle will also share examples of organizations that are implementing her strategies and having success in removing poverty related obstacles.

Learning Objectives: Participants will

• Enhance their knowledge of poverty
• Develop a common definition of poverty and a common language to discuss issues with peers and partners
• Gain an understanding of the different life experiences of poverty and how they impact success
• Develop their understanding on how to impact the individuals with whom they work
• Gain tools and strategies for individual and organizational actions that have proven to improve outcomes
• Understand the intersections of poverty, racism, and disabilities.

See Poverty...Be the Difference

The Central Oregon Disability Support Network has offered to purchase copies of Dr. Beegle's book: See Poverty...Be the Difference: Discovering the Missing Pieces for Working with People in Poverty. This book provides an authentic opportunity for gaining a foundation, rooted in lived experience and research, for understanding poverty and addressing its impacts. It is designed to shatter stereotypes with facts about poverty and to provide concrete tools and ideas for creating programs and systems that are responsive to the needs of people living in poverty conditions. Please use it as a tool to help you be the missing piece and truly make a difference for students and families who live in poverty.

To claim your copy, you just need to be one of the first 50 people who register AND attend the entire training on February 22. To receive a copy, you just need to provide us with a mailing address on the registration form (next page).

About Dr. Donna M. Beegle

Donna Beegle grew up in generational poverty and left school at 15 to get married. At 25, she found herself divorced with two children, little education, and few marketable job skills. At age 26, she earned her GED at Mt. Hood Community College. She went on to study poverty, communication, and education and--within 10 short years--received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. Beegle combines her lived experiences of poverty with 30 years of research and work in all 50 states, to create inclusive, responsive environments that promote lifelong success.

In addition, she has spent years combating ignorance and fighting for the education and special services needed for family members who can not read or write along with the needs of children like her daughter, Juliette, who was kicked off a plane because of ignorance about autism.

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