Self Advocacy

What is Advocacy?

People with disabilities want the same opportunities as those without disabilities. However, they often need additional support in pursuit of their civil rights and personal needs while accessing local businesses, employment, transportation, education, housing, and the ability to vote.

  • People with disabilities can receive advocacy assistance from Ability 1st’s center staff.
  • This advocacy is both for personal and system change to facilitate policy changes in their communities for themselves and others.

Our goal is to teach individuals to advocate for themselves, with assistance from their Independent Living Specialist or Life Skills Trainer.

Individual Advocacy

Individual consumer advocacy is provided to help individuals to learn necessary skills in obtaining important support services from other community agencies.

This one-on-one service is designed to increase self-sufficiency and independence. Through this service, our consumers learn to be assertive when faced with obstacles in pursuit of their independent living goals.

They are empowered through education of advocacy methods and are encouraged to directly advocate for their own issues, as well as issues that affect others.