The Self-Advocacy Association of New York State, Inc. (SR) is in our eighth year of a successful project through ArneriCorps, a program of the National Service Corporation administered through the New York State Office of Volunteer and Community Service.

As an AmeriCorps program, SA receives funding to support the efforts of individuals who will serve as AmeriCorps members. Members receive a modest living allowance as a stipend and are eligible for educational awards.

The mission of AmeriCorps/Self-Advocacy is to assist individuals with developmental disabilities to become full and valued members of their communities. Through this project, individuals with developmental and other disabilities, work under the concept that, "Our Experience is the Best Teacher". With this in mind, teams of AmeriCorps members make presentations on a number of related topics to students, both with and without disabilities, teachers, people with disabilities interested in self-advocacy, staff of support service agencies, and members of the general community. The purpose of these presentations is to promote the importance of self-advocacy for people with disabilities, general awareness of disability related issues, and to teach about the important gifts that people with disabilities have to offer which can only be received through full community inclusion and participation of all individuals in their own community.

This program addresses the basic need and right of people with disabilities to: 1) be included in oil aspects of citizenship as full and contributing members of their communities; and 2) exercise as much control as possible over their own lives and destinies by taking charge of the development of the various supports services they may need. This will be accomplished through two basic educational efforts. The first effort is by teaching people with disabilities (school age students and adults) the basic skills of self-advocacy. This includes speaking up for yourself and others by developing an understanding of both the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and community participation. The second effort is providing disability awareness training for people without disabilities (teachers, students, staff of support organizations, members of civic groups and associations). This training will focus on reversing negative stereotypes and misconceptions that many people still have about people with disabilities, and more importantly, focusing on the abilities and gifts that people with disabilities offer their community.

Based on the premise that "Our Experience is the Best Teacher", all presentations are conducted by individuals with disabilities and are based on their experiences, dreams, hopes and abilities. Self-advocates have learned from years of experience that it is their voices, individually and collectively, that most effectively break down barriers and build bridges within their communities.

Presentation/Activity Areas

SA, in cooperation with members, self-advocates and our partners have developed training and presentation modules. AmeriCorps participants provide these presentations throughout their period of service. These areas were chosen by  SA's board of directors because they match the long term goals of the Association and have been identified by self-advocates as important issues. Various files, skits, and handouts are utilized and/or developed for the presentations. AmeriCorps members lead and teach from their personal experiences.

1. Presentations in Schools: Participants will be prepared for three types of presentations in schools.

    a) presentations geared towards general assemblies and individual classes.

    b) presentations geared towards students with disabilities.

    c) Presentations for teachers, focusing on the importance of inclusive education.

Presentations are developed to cover several separate sessions, especially for individual classes of students or for groups of students with disabilities. The purpose of multiple visits is to reinforce concepts discussed and provide more in depth discussions. AmeriCorps members provide, training and assistance to students with disabilities who wish to form self-advocacy groups. Assistance and training will focus on the development of leadership skills.

2) Staff Training and Orientation focuses on staff attitudes, self-advocacy and rights.

3) Community Awareness presentations are geared toward general community audiences such as civic groups. It provides a basic overview and awareness of disability issues and self-advocacy.

4) Emergency Preparedness Training focuses on people living independently in the community to prepare them for the emergencies and/or disasters.

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