- About Self-Advocacy and The Alliance
- Personal Self Advocacy
- Resources for Self-Advocacy Groups
- Rights
- Legislative Advocacy
- Supported Decision-Making
- Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Sex Education Implementation
About Self-Advocacy and The Alliance
Self-Advocacy is speaking up and speaking out for yourself and sometimes for others who can’t or won’t speak up for themselves. This includes what you want and don’t want; what you need and don’t need; and hopes, dreams and goals for your life.
A Self-Advocate is a person who speaks up for themselves.
The Illinois Self-Advocacy Alliance (The Alliance) was a statewide network of self-advocates, advocacy groups and allies in Illinois. It was funded by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities from 2008 – 2024.
The Alliance was created in 2008 by a group of Illinois self-advocates. This group was part of a 2006 project funded by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities to strengthen the self-advocacy movement in Illinois. During the project, this group spoke to over 800 self-advocates from across the state and learned a lot about what self-advocates want to make like better. Then, they presented what they learned to self-advocacy groups throughout the states. During this process, they realized that the best way to strengthen the self-advocacy movement in Illinois is to form a network of self-advocacy groups. The groups would speak with one voice and work together to make change. The group names itself The Illinois Self-Advocacy Alliance, or “The Alliance.”
The mission of The Alliance was to speak up for ourselves and each other while working together to make changes in our communities and in Illinois. The vision of The Alliance was self-advocates working together to get the support they need and to live the life they want in the community.
The Alliance focused on empowering people to speak up and speak out about what they want/need, don’t want/don’t need, action plan their goals and participate in advocacy at the personal, community and statewide levels. Empowering people was done through education, training and individualized mentoring.
Check out The Alliance’s YouTube Channel. With more that 150 recorded presentation, we are sure you’ll find something of interest!
The Alliance created many resources related to self-advocacy over the years. Check them out below.
Personal Self Advocacy
- Pieces of the Self-Advocacy Puzzle – English
- Pieces of the Self-Advocacy Puzzle – Spanish
Resources for Self-Advocacy Groups
Whether you are starting a self-advocacy group or looking to enhance your current self-advocacy group, check out the Alliance Self-Advocacy Leadership Manual.
Robert’s Rules of Order is a standard set of rules to run orderly meetings with maximum fairness to all members. Check out an easier to understand version at Robert’s Rules of Order.
Rights
Do you receive Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services through a Developmental Disability Waiver? Learn about your rights! Check out the accessible version of It’s My Right – DHS Rights – Accessible Version – March 2024 (English) and It’s My Right – DHS Right – Accessible Version – March 2024 (Spanish). It was developed with input from self-advocates in Illinois and support from The Alliance. The Accessible Version is meant to support greater understanding and advocacy of the rights of individuals receiving services in the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Developmental Disability Waivers programs.
Legislative Advocacy
The Alliance, in partnership with the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, created several resources about legislative advocacy of filing Witness Slips. The resources include:
- Speaking Up and Speaking Out by Filing a Witness Slip recorded presentation
- Speaking Up and Speaking Out by Filing a Witness Slip PowerPoint