Welcome to the 2011 National Conversation Resource Page!
Here you will find lots of helpful information including a summary of each call and a list websites or other resources from the guest speakers.
Tuesday May 3, 2011 – SUMMARY
The topic of the first call was – How are self-advocates in charge of their own lives? The guest speakers included Gayle Bernice Gardner (self-advocate from Oregon), Eric Matthes (self-advocate from Washington), Katie Arnold (Sibling Leadership Network from Illinois), and Kate Fialkowski (sibling and Kennedy Policy Fellow from DC). They talked about what it means for self-advocates to be in charge of their own lives and how to give the right kind of supports for people to live the lives they want. They also talked a lot about guardianship. They talked about options for guardianship, how self-advocates can become their own guardian, and how to be a supportive guardian. We learned how important it is to plan for the future with your family and talk about things like guardianship. Many of the callers had questions about guardianship and what people in other states are doing about the budget cuts to services.
RESOURCES
Self-Advocacy and Guardianship PowerPoint
From Eric Matthes and the Arc of King County
The Protection and Advocacy Center in your state is a good resource for guardianship. To find the Protection and Advocacy Center in your state,
visit the National Disability Rights Network website and click on your state.
National Guardianship Association is another great resource to learn about guardianship.
Read about the Rights of an Individual Under Guardianship
Read the POSITION STATEMENT on guardianship adopted by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) and The Arc of the United States.
Tuesday June 7, 2011 – SUMMARY
The topic of the second call was – How are self-advocates in charge of their self-advocacy groups? The guest speakers included Clint Perrin (self-advocate from New York), Steve Holmes (advisor from New York), Beth Davis (self-advocate from Illinois), and Jennifer Knapp (advisor from Illinois). They talked about what it means for self-advocates to be in charge of their self-advocacy groups and what groups are working on in different states. They also talked about what the self-advocacy movement has accomplished so far and what there is left to do- like closing institutions everywhere. They talked about what help and support they need from advisors. They also talked about how important it is to be active and stay informed on what is going on in your state and the federal level around services for people with disabilities.
RESOURCES
June 7th PowerPoint
The Arc’s Capitol Insider weekly email newsletter. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Disability.gov is a website that is “connecting the disability community to information and opportunities.” You can find information on this website related to multiple federal and state issues. You can SIGN UP for their bi-monthly email newsletter Disability Connection.
Visit the Whitehouse Disabilities Page to find current information about multiple issues. Sign up for email Updates from President Obama and Other Senior Officials and get invited to monthly White House Disability Calls. Click on “Get Email Updates” at the top right of the page.
Listen to your local news and CSPAN
Tuesday July 12, 2011 – SUMMARY
The topic of the third and final call was – What can self-advocate leaders and others can do to strengthen the movement? The guest speakers included Sharon Lewis (Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities), Ari Ne’eman (President of Autistic Self Advocacy Network), Stacey Milbern (Outreach Coordinator for the National Youth Leadership Network), and Max Barrows (Vice President of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered). They talked about the Allies in Self-Advocacy Summits that were held across the country. Many of the speakers on the call went to their regional meetings and talked about what happened. They also talked about the goals that came out of the summits like making sure self-advocates are included in policy decisions, supporting and growing local groups, providing training and leadership for self-advocates, and including younger self-advocates. The panelists agreed that at the heart of the self-advocacy movement are shared experiences. While we may sometimes disagree, we must always remember the things we have in common. It is important to work with allies to build support and challenge each other to do better. Because tight budgets are a big issue, the panelist talked about ways to get by with what they have like using free resources on the internet like Facebook and Twitter, getting funding from more than one source, self-advocates helping each other and valuing local groups and volunteers. The self-advocacy movement couldn’t do it without them! Self-advocate leaders agreed to continue to work together to advance the movement.
RESOURCES
Want more information on the regional self-advocacy summits hosted by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities? Visit the Allies in Self-Advocacy website.
You can also visit the Administration on Developmental Disabilities website.
To find a benefits planner who can help self-advocates have jobs and keep their benefits, visit the National Disability Rights Network website and click on your state.
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities is another great resource to stay up-to-date on policy issues that impact people with disabilities. It is a coalition of about 100 national disability organizations working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.
Find out more about the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network a national advocacy organization.
Click here to learn more about Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered
Click here to learn more about National Youth Leadership Network
The White House holds monthly calls on policy issues that are important to people with disabilities. VisitThe White House websiteto sign up to receive alerts about the monthly calls and other announcements about disability policy.
