Project Description:
The Self Advocacy Project is focused on efforts to better support self advocacy at the University of Washington UCEDD. Objectives for this project include program development and self advocacy training. To support program development, staff has been involved in two activities. The first was to identify existing resources that support the development of the self advocacy movement as well as educate the wider community on the self advocacy movement. The identified electronic resources are available on the UCEDD website. The second major program development activity has been participation of UCEDD staff in the monthly meetings of the Allies in Advocacy State Team, a multi year effort of self advocates and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) network partners (Developmental Disabilities Council, Disability Rights Washington, and UCEDD). The Allies team wrote a Proclamation for the Dignity and Rights of all Human Beings that has been introduced at both the national and state legislative levels and will be used as a tool to measure increased independence and access to rights for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. The AIDD network partners have committed to supporting Allies efforts to become a legislatively recognized fourth member of the network by including the Allies in Advocacy team in all collaborative efforts including support to the Equal Partners Interstate Congress (EPIC) project funded by the Administration on Community Living (ACL). Other recent examples have included the addition of advocates on the Department of Corrections project focused on the supports and services to incarcerated individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury in Washington State as Advisory Team members and presenting at the 50th Anniversary UCEDD Symposium in 2017. The Chair of the Allies group, who is also a UCEDD Consumer Advisory Council member, represented the UCEDD at the EPIC conference held in the summer of 2017. He also presented at the 2018 AUCD Annual Conference on the group s efforts to become a nonprofit organization. The UCEDD support of the Allies efforts continues to be one of our priorities for the future as well as including them as partners in our grant activities as appropriate.
CHDD s LEND program created a trainee position specifically for an advocate with IDD several years ago. The model for this new trainee position was developed with input from UW LEND faculty and staff and non UW stakeholders to build on existing self advocacy trainee models. The Advocate trainee position is an opportunity for individuals with IDD to develop their skills in supporting individuals with IDD in their communities as well as inform the LEND and other UCEDD faculty and students of their experiences and perspectives on research and service.
Core Function(s):
Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities, Quality of Life
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Adults with Disabilities
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
None
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
