Shirley here with another bit of history. In 2004 we interviewed around 100 self-advocates (people with intellectual and developmental disabilities) to find out what they would like to see happen in the self-advocacy movement in Illinois. Many people said, Help us to speak up and help those around us to Listen when we speak. That was the beginning of Illinois Voices which began in 2005! For five years we worked with hundreds of self-advocates and 60 disability agencies to honor the voices of self-advocates. One of our goals was to equalize power between the people served and the employees in agencies and many of those agencies continue today with practices they learned. For example, people served are part of hiring, training and evaluating the staff who work with them. Many self-advocates continue to serve on committees, collaborative teams and Boards; many have spoken across the state and out of state. We are grateful for the relationships we gained and the wisdom that self-advocates have shared with us. Krescene continues our work in the self-advocacy movement with the Self-Advocacy Alliance. Remember to speak up about what is important in your life!!!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 16:10:42 +0000
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