Serving Children and Adolescents in Need, Inc — Local Advocacy Training

Statewide Need
To help ensure that the interests of all citizens in Texas are represented in public policy discussions and decisions, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families must have the opportunity to participate actively in the policymaking process. By serving as primary sources for information regarding the real-life impacts of legislative and policy decisions, they can provide legislators and other policymakers with an understanding of the needs of individuals with IDD and their families. Through advocacy training programs, people with IDD and their families can provide substantive input to policymakers about programs, services, and issues directly affecting their lives, and local advocacy networks can provide a range of support to individual advocates in their communities.

Project Goal
Provide a community-based solution specifically designed to fill the gap in services left by the lack of formal public policy advocacy skills training for individuals with IDD and their family members.

Project Summary
Serving Children and Adolescents in Need, Inc. provided training to over 600 individuals in and around Webb County on how to become self-advocates. Individuals with IDD, their families, and other community members regularly accessed program services and disseminated information to their communities about IDD and advocacy.

Participants also made more than 19,000 contacts to elected officials to educate them about the needs of individuals with IDD in Webb County. The project put out multiple public service announcements each year and received media coverage for advocacy efforts related to the project.

• Impact
  
  • 78 workshops were held to educate 232 self-advocates, 287 family members, and 159 community members on disability issues and self-advocacy
  • 19,434 contacts were made with elected officials to educate them about the needs of individuals with IDD in Webb County
  • The project was covered through 15 media events