Ethan Hayes & Kaylin Shampo

1. Ethan Hayes & Kaylin Shampo

2. What is Advocacy? • Advocacy is arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy. • Advocacy occurs when an individual engages in dialogue about an issue they care about. It can occur in many forms - - speaking out, letter writing, protesting, voting, and even wearing a t-shirt that makes a statement.

3. 3 Major Types of Advocacy • Individual • Systems • Grassroots

4. Advocacy Defined • Individual: Teaching individuals how to communicate to obtain necessary support services from the community, as well as providing advocacy services. • Systems: Directly advocating for changes in the local, state, and federal systems that impact people with disabilities. • Grassroots: Groups made up of every day citizens who want to take action to solve issues facing their community.

5. Individual Advocacy • Help people learn how to speak for themselves • Build skills and self-esteem to enable individuals to ask for what they need • Develop skills so persons with disabilities can impact local, state, and national disability policies

6. Examples of Individual Advocacy • Work with a consumer on a plan to become their own payee • Help an individual who feels they no longer need a guardian • Work with a parent to help regain custody of their children who were put in the foster care system during a time of mental health crisis

7. Discussion • What types of individual advocacy have you done? • What are some of the barriers to successful advocacy at the individual level? • What would you like to learn about individual advocacy? • How can an ILC improve the quantity and quality of individual advocacy?

8. Systems Advocacy • ILC’s work in collaboration with other service organizations, people with disabilities (PWD), and the community to influence change at the local, state, and federal levels. • ILC’s recognize the importance of PWD playing a role in policy making. ILC’s work hard to get PWD involved and to get them to vote. • ILC’s have well developed relationships with federal and state legislators and local governmental representatives.

9. Examples of Systems Advocacy • Lack of dental care for persons on MA • Lack of housing and resources for persons who are homeless • Guarantee consumer involvement in long-term care redesign • Mental Health Parity

10. Discussion • What types of systems advocacy have you done? • What are some of the barriers you have experienced with systems advocacy? • How can our centers be more involved with systems advocacy?

11. Grassroots Advocacy • Work with local community members to identify local issues most important to its members and communities. • Address issues in a number of ways, including educating the public and policy makers, building community partnerships, and drawing media support for issues facing the community. • Educate and empower local citizens on important policy matters.

12. Examples of Grassroots Advocacy • A local group getting their city to install curb cuts. • Attending rallies and events that support policy changes that assist people with disabilities. • Collaborating with individuals in power to address issues in direct ways.

13. Discussion • What types of grassroots advocacy have you done or seen done at your center? • What are some of the potential barriers to successful grassroots advocacy? • How can IL staff educate and encourage consumers to get involved with grassroots activities and groups?

14. How to Pitch Advocacy to Consumers • Identify possible areas of interest that consumer might feel strongly enough about to take a stand. • Carry LOTS of brochures outlining the advocacy opportunities at your ILC and how they can get involved.

15. Signs of Successful Advocacy • Group has created clear, measurable goals. • Participation by a variety of different members of the community – people with and without disabilities. • Extensive knowledge of whom you are trying to reach and what moves them. • Compelling messages that connect with your target audience. • Additional signs of successful advocacy?

16. Signs of Faltering Advocacy • Lack of agreement on goals and issues that need attention. • Insufficient interest regarding specific issues that are trying to be worked on. • Lack of participation and follow through. • Poor communication. • Other signs of faltering advocacy?

17. Barriers to Advocacy • What are some of the real and perceived barriers to creating and sustaining strong advocacy?

18. Fee-For-Service as a Barrier to Advocacy • When doing fee-for-service work for another agency it can be easy to forget that our responsibility is to advocate for the consumer. • If a consumer is having difficulty with an agency or accessing a service they need, it is our job to advocate for them, and help them learn how to advocate for themselves! • Examples of this barrier in your experience?

19. Sharing Consumer Stories • You don’t need to be an expert to be an advocate, you just need to tell your story or the story of someone you have worked with, effectively • Real stories change hearts andminds—use yours to illustrate the need for services for people with disabilities • Your story is always right • Your lived experience has value and meaning • You don’t have to have all the answers—just a clear “ask”

20. Tips for Telling A Powerful Story Legislators are not therapists… • Keep your story brief (aim for a minute or two—or even less) • Illustrate a point • Make a clear “ask” Remember that positive concepts like hope and recovery are powerful motivators

21. Practice Telling A Consumer Story! • Partner up with someone and take a few minutes to tell each other a powerful story you know about a consumer you have worked with. • Try to think of a story that would motivate a legislator to take action. • Remember to keep it concise and to the point!

22. Resources • National Alliance on Mental Illness (Nami),Telling Your Story; http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=tools_for_leaders