At AbilityFirst, participants are encouraged to be involved in opportunities to shape, influence, and contribute to their program experience. Maintaining and growing the person-centered programs tailored to the individual interests and needs requires every voice to speak up.
Enter Social Advocates for Change, a Participant Advisory Council created for and by AbilityFirst adult participants and dedicated to empowering individuals to self-advocate and elevate their own voices.
Advocates meet twice a month, every 2nd and 4th Thursday to discuss topics that are important to them and for them, with a focus on developing leadership skills to represent their voice and the voices of their peers, learning how to work and collaborate as a team and how to share with programs on changes and improvements needed. The benefits of Social Advocates for Change are already proving to be enormously impactful. In addition to helping to grow together as a community, these adult participants are learning to become active decision-makers in their own lives, in programs, and in their communities. This is another big step closer to realizing their goals of social and career independence and reaching their full potential.