Self-Advocacy

The DC Department on Disability Services (DDS) provides the residents of DC with information, oversight, and coordination of services for people with disabilities and those who support them, such as service providers and employers. DDS has two Administrations ( Rehabilitation Services Administration & Developmental Disabilities Administration ) that oversee and coordinate services for residents with disabilities through a network of private and non-profit providers.

REHABILITATION SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (RSA) - focuses on employment, ensuring that persons with disabilities achieve a greater quality of life by obtaining and sustaining employment, economic self-sufficiency and independence. RSA’s program is designed to assess, plan, develop, and provide vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities, consistent with their strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, and informed choice, in order to prepare for and engage in gainful employment 34 C.F.R. § 361.1

• The RSA Youth in Transition Services Units provide transition services, as defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 amended, to coordinate a set of activities for students designed around an outcome-oriented process that supports their movement from school to post-school activities including post-secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, and independent living. Vocational rehabilitation transition services link students with disabilities, while still in school, with the vocational rehabilitation program to create a continuum of services leading to long-term employment outcomes for eligible students.
• To learn more about RSA’s vocational rehabilitation process for youth with disabilities, refer to the RSA Youth in Transition Toolkit: “Explore the World of Work, Discover Your Career”. It provides the specific steps and activities that youth, schools, and parents need to understand to apply for services and work through the RSA process to receive services and find employment.

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES ADMINISTRATION (DDA) - public agency responsible for the oversight and coordination of all services and supports provided to qualified persons with intellectual disabilities in the District of Columbia.

• DDA supports individuals with intellectual disabilities to have the most independence and choice and control over their own lives through person-centered service planning and delivery and increased provider capacity. DDA coordinates home and community services for over 2,000 individuals so each person can live and work in the neighborhood of his or her choosing, and promotes health, wellness and a high quality of life through service coordination and monitoring, clinical supports, and a robust quality management program.

As the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center for Washington DC, AJE’s mission is to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services.

AJE provides:

• FREE monthly trainings and workshops for parents and professionals in navigating special education systems and supports (including assisting families to prepare for IEP meetings and understanding educational services and parent and student rights); youth leadership and self-advocacy trainings;
• individual assistance and legal representation to address educational issues; assistance with accessing health services for children and youth with special health care needs; referral support for families to obtain housing, child care and other social services;
• legal services for school discipline issues;
• a resource library with information on various disabilities and treatment options

AYPF’s mission is to broaden the awareness and understanding of policymakers and to strengthen the youth policy-making process by bridging policy, practice, and research. We do this by identifying the most pertinent high-quality information on youth issues available and providing a forum for prominent leaders in government, programming, and research, as well as the youth themselves, to share their viewpoints and expertise about the policies and practices that improve outcomes for all youth.

The Arc of Frederick County provides advocacy, access to resources, and assistance in increasing individual and family connections for people with developmental disabilities. The organization seeks creative solutions to help people with developmental disabilities attain their goals.

Programs and Services Provided by the Arc Include...

• Information and Referral services for anyone who contacts The Arc and needs connections to community resources
• Residential Supports for children and adults in their family's home, their own home, and to learn the skills to transition to their own home
• Employment supports for adults and transitioning students to locate careers based on their passions, talents, and personal interests
• Futures and Estate Planning to help parents plan for their child's needs and where they will live, when parents are no longer around to help.
• Sibling Supports including workshops and support groups for brothers and sisters of children and adults with developmental disabilities
• Service Coordination for children with autism
• Hispanic Outreach to further our efforts among the growing Spanish speaking population in Frederick County
• Educational advocacy to partner with families and schools to promote effective education for each child
• Training seminars for self-advocates, parents, siblings, professionals, and other community members covering topics such as school advocacy, creative employment options, and navigation through social service systems
• Real World weekends to support adults with independent living skills challenges that will prepare someone to move into their own home
• Funding Conduit Services where people are in charge of hiring their own staff
• Parents Day Out program that gives parents a few hours of respite each month knowing their children are being cared for in a safe, supervised environment.
• Support Groups for self-advocates and families
• Classes at FCC, Delaplaine Arts Center, Adult Basic Education, etc.

Community Education...
The Arc publishes The Link, a bi-monthly newsletter for members. A library is available to the public which includes publications and training materials. A speakers bureau is also available upon request.

ASAN is proud to announce the release of a comprehensive toolkit to empower people with disabilities and their families to manage their own health care as they transition to adulthood.

Transition to Adulthood: A Health Care Guide for Youth and Families provides people with people with disabilities and their families with information on how to choose a source of health care coverage, create a health care support network, integrate health care transition goals into their educational plans, and manage their health care. It includes useful guides and worksheets for keeping track of health care records, making doctor's appointments, and talking to doctors about health concerns.

The toolkit also includes Model Supported Health Care Decision-Making Legislation and its accompanying Questions and Answers resource. The model legislation, which ASAN developed in collaboration with the Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, would enable people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to name a trusted person to help communicate with doctors, understand health care information, make informed decisions about health care, and/or carry out daily health-related activities. Advocates can use this model legislation when talking to their state legislators about ways to support people make independent health care decisions.

ASAN's policy brief, The Transition to Adulthood for Youth with ID/DD: A review of research, policy, and next steps, discusses the range of challenges facing youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they approach adulthood, including potential loss of health care coverage, barriers to obtaining adult-oriented care, and lack of support in making health care decisions. It outlines several policy recommendations to eliminate these barriers, including expanding access to income-based Medicaid coverage, increased education and awareness of the importance of transition and decision-making supports, and increased research on best practices in transition planning.

Provides multiple services for individuals with complex medical needs and disabilities, their families, and others who support them, as well as providers of services. Supports a six-month program called “Leaders in Disability Policy,” which teaches individuals with disabilities the leadership skills to effectively advocate for themselves and others with disabilities.

The DC Supporting Families Community of Practice (SF CoP) is a group of family members, advocates with disabilities, government leaders, disability advocacy and services professionals, and other interested community members who are thinking together about how to create policies, practices and systems that better support families that include a member with an intellectual or developmental disability across the life course.

DeafBlind Citizens in Action is an independent and emerging organization led by young adults who are DeafBlind. Their mission includes advocacy, education, and outreach to empower other young adults globally.

Mortgage Calculator's "Fair and Affordable Housing: The Activist's Blueprint for Action" is a resource guide designed to help those fighting for fair and affordable housing in their communities have an even greater impact. The guide includes links to:

• National housing organization websites, research, and publications
• Brief summaries of housing laws and executive orders
• Options for reporting housing discrimination
• And more

The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital (GSCNC) helps girls to promote diversity, gain practical life skills, and connect with their community through a variety of artistic, educational, and environmental events. Some of these events include:

• Photography expos
• College and career conferences
• Nature workshops

Sponsored by Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, The Jenny Hatch Justice Project (JHJP) supports the right of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities to make decisions about their lives. JHJP provides access to:

• Recent research publications on independent living services and alternatives to guardianship
• Informative brochures on decision-making
• A sample training program
• Legal, educational, and transition resources

LAYC provides multi-lingual, culturally sensitive programs in the following areas:

• Educational Enhancement
• Social Services
• Workforce Investment
• Community Wellness
• Art + Media
• Advocacy

WE SUPPORT NATIONALLY:

• RESEARCH related to Autism and related neuro-developmental disorders,
• PUBLIC AWARENESS about incidence of disorders and effective treatment,
• ACCURATE INFORMATION dissemination of up to date, research based information to families, educators and medical professionals, and
• EDUCATION of parents, advocates, clinicians, educators, lawyers and the community as to best practices and appropriate treatment. Promoting a collaborative, cross training approach.

THIS IS DONE THROUGH:

• BEING A SOURCE of accurate, up to date, research based information,
• TRAINING families, educators and clinicians and lawyers, through community training programs,
• SUPPORTING community programs that promote awareness about disabilities and support families and individuals with disabilities,
• PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE through education advocacy, self advocacy, independent living and home and community based services for children and adults with Autism and related neuro-developmental disorders,
• FUNDING of research that addresses the quality of life for parents and their children with Autism, and
• SPONSORING quality Special Education Advocacy trainings through NSEAI, which provides on-site, on-line training, and conferences.

The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness and Partners’ Transition Toolkit contains all of the resources needed for planning and hosting a Transition Institute that will create a memorable, high quality learning experience for deaf-blind teens. The Toolkit is a repository of information, tools and resources that serve as a model for hosting a workshop for deaf-blind teens ages 14-22 and their families.

The NYLN:

• Promotes youth leadership development.
• Values inclusion, interdependent support systems, and disability pride.
• Works to create access to the resources youth need to be leaders.
• Supports work being done by youth activists with disabilities on the local level.
• Trains youth with disabilities.
• Connects youth leaders with opportunities to serve and be active members of their communities.

Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities is an advocacy organization that is an independent catalyst for change in the lives of people of all ages with developmental disabilities. Quality Trust advocates, monitors, provides legal education, training, and family navigation to residents of the District of Columbia.

Student Veterans of America envisions a nation where all student veterans succeed in post-secondary programs and contribute to civilian society in meaningful ways. SVA provides the resources and support to do so through five major initiatives. We maintain a commitment to Support Chapters through leadership training, grants, and networking opportunities that facilitate the development of successful student-run organizations. An essential component of chapter work is advocating for supportive campus services and programs. At the national level, SVA’s Advocacy efforts ensure policies are not only supportive for veterans in their transition to school and employment, but also for the entire military community. To best serve this large community, SVA Develops Partnerships with other organizations to provide scholarships, mentorships, employment, and benefits counseling. Yet, our support doesn’t end at graduation. Student Veterans of America is developing a networking program that will Connect Alumni veterans with even more professional opportunities. These initiatives are designed to bring veterans closer to their degrees, yet little data exists on student veterans' academic performance. By Investing in Research, SVA hopes to fill that void and showcase student veteran success.

The U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD) is a non-profit that promotes the inclusion of disability perspectives in U.S. foreign policy and aid and provides opportunities for domestic disability rights organizations to interface with their international counterparts.

Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT)

The Youth Action Council on Transition (Youth ACT) is a national initiative to get more youth involved as leaders and partners with adults and youth-serving organizations to improve youth transition outcomes. YouthACT is led by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

For more information about the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) visit http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ .

For more information about the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) visit http://www.dol.gov/odep/ .

YouthACT State Teams

YouthACT has supported the creation of 5 state teams: District of Columbia, Tennessee, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and California.

We are very excited that DC has been selected to participate in the Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT)! YouthACT Team DC is comprised of two youth, an adult partner (SchoolTalk) and a sponsoring organization (Quality Trust). YouthACT Team DC received letters of support from the DC Department on Disability Services (DDS), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS).

To get in contact with YouthACT Team DC, please contact Sarah Grime with SchoolTalk at (202) 907-6887 or sarah.grime@schooltalkdc.org .

More Information

YouthACT works with youth, ages 12-25, to develop skills and knowledge in leadership and advocacy so they can speak up about what all youth need to be successful during transition to adulthood. YouthACT also supports youth to learn how to partner with adults and work with peers as a team to advocate for improving youth opportunities and services in their local community.

YouthACT aims to improve the capacity and engagement of youth with disabilities and their allies as leaders and partners in efforts to improve transition policies and practices within and across systems serving youth. YouthACT will accomplish this goal by:
1. Supporting the creation of local YouthACT teams consisting of two emerging youth leaders and one adult partner.
2. Providing the emerging youth leaders the training and mentoring necessary to: increase their knowledge about the transition process and policies in various systems; and increase their leadership and advocacy skills.
3. Supporting the youth leaders, as part of their YouthACT team, to participate in leadership opportunities related to informing their peers and the various systems about improved transition for all youth.
4. Engaging the youth leaders in developing materials and tools for youth, families, professionals, and policy makers.
5. Engaging the youth leaders in identifying transition barriers youth are experiencing across systems and developing a national change agenda that is youth-driven.
6. Developing the capacity of organizations/agencies to effectively engage youth as leaders and partners in efforts to improve youth transition outcomes.

Are You Between The Ages Of 18-26 With A Disability Who Wants To Help Other People With Disabilities? Are You Looking For Services To Help You Solve Everyday Issues? Do You Want To Learn About Advocacy?

Come discuss issues that affect you and others like yourself. The DCCIL Youth Peer Support and Group will provide you with an outlet to talk about issues that not only affect you, but others with disabilities. Connect with others and make a difference together.